Wake up call
by Happymood
Summary: Harry and Draco never were close friends and barely talked to each other. Three years after Voldemort had been deafeated Draco calls Harry for help. Help? Pairings: future slash: HPDM, HPGW, hinted RWHG
1. Help

Twenty year's old Harry Potter was known by everyone in the wizarding world. He was the boy-who-lived, the Saviour of the Wizarding world, youngest Seeker in a century, son of the most powerful wizard and the most powerful witch, and one of the Ministry of Magic's best Aurors. Moreover he was a loyal friend and a great boyfriend. Everyone loved him.

If he ignored the fact every magazine and newspaper wanted to interview him at least twice a week, the phone kept ringing every hour to know if he was interested in sponsoring some kind of product or something equally annoying or the fact that people kept stopping him when late to work for an autograph, Harry Potter would say he had a very happy life.

Fame on the side, everything else was perfect. He had the best friends on the world and the most gorgeous woman at his side, Ginny Weasley. He loved his job. He loved being free from the fear that had been lying somewhere deep in his heart for seven whole years.

He loved being able to smile again.

Finally, life was perfect.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter!"

"Nice day, isn't it?"

"Good morning, Harry!"

"Good morning, Ron…" Harry greeted back with a smile and moved on to his study, Ron following soon after.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter. There are some papers you need to sign…" his secretary started as soon Harry opened the door.

"Good morning, Miss Bennett. To the point, as always?" Harry smiled warmly at her.

"Of course, Mr. Potter. That's my job…" the secretary responded without a trace of emotion. Ron and Harry exchanged an amused look as Miss Bennett stood up and shoved tons of paperwork in Harry's arms before returning to her place to answer the phone.

"I'm going deaf since the Ministry decided to use those muggle inventions around here…" Ron said, throwing a glance at the black telephone lying almost innocently on Harry's desk.

"Yeah, but no more owl's crap in the way is better…"

Ron snorted.

"So, Harry…" Ron said making himself comfortable in Harry's king's size armchair. Harry groaned as Miss Bennett threw some more paperwork in his arms. Ron tried not to laugh as he continued: "So… when is the big day, buddy?"

"Ron…" Harry said putting down his work for the day on the desk. "You know Ginny and I are not ready to marry, yet…"

"Why not?" Ron said standing immediately up before he could be ran over by tons of paper. Harry looked at him.

"You are the one to talk…" Harry said and then smirked. "Why don't you ask Hermione first and then we can talk about my love-life?"

As if on cue Hermione passed before their door and waved at them before moving on to her own study. Ron waved back, his ears red and a stupid smile on his face and Harry's grin grew bigger.

"I see…" Harry said, "You don't have the guts…"

"What?" Ron exclaimed, his attention back to his friend. "Of course I do have the guts!"

"So, you don't love her enough…" Harry teased but Ron took his words a little too seriously.

"I…!" Ron made to remark but just then Miss Bennett talked with her monotonous voice, loud and clear:

"Mr. Potter, there's a call for you…"

--

Twenty years old Draco Malfoy was known by everyone in the wizarding world. Maybe in not the best way but he was famous, nevertheless. His father had been a Death Eater, follower of the Dark Lord, and he too had followed Lucius Malfoy's path for a moment. Those who were students (mostly Gryffindors) at the time Voldermort was at his apogee talked about Malfoy junior as a coward extraordinaire, a bully, a spoiled brat and the most amusing ferret Hogwarts had ever seen. Slytherin student's, on the other, didn't talk about him at all and neither they defended him against the rumors said about him. No one loved him.

"Mr. Malfoy, the charges against you are really grave…"

Draco nodded impassively. He had been preparing himself since he left Hogwarts for this.

"You know that, seeing you records, you should be sent to Azkaban. It's a matter of time, really…"

Draco nodded again, sitting perfectly still before all the jury. He did fear what would happen to him if they did send him to prison, but, really, what did he have to lose?

He had no one. His family was safe. That was all.

"Then again…" the judge continued, the tone of his voice startling Draco a little. "Then again, Mr. Harry Potter said your family in the end helped him in the war against Voldemort. His exact words were that if it wasn't for the Malfoy's, he would be already dead…."

Draco didn't really understand the phrase. He himself didn't do anything to help his most hated rival and suddenly the image of his old wand came to his mind. Was that the help Potter was talking about?

"You understand that we can't ignore this fact, Mr. Malfoy…"

A sparkle of hope raised in his heart.

"We decided that, instead of being put into Azkaban for ten years…"

Yes! No Azkaban! Draco's eyes sparkled with joy, his worst fear dissipating away. Everything will be better now!

"…you will live for half the time, meaning five years, as a muggle…"

And then all his hopes came crushing down.

"W-what?" he stuttered talking for the first time.

"From the moment you'll step outside this room, you are not allowed to use magic. Any indication that you did, will have you being sent in prison straight away as a consequence. You don't have to search for a house as we already took care of that. You will need to search for a job, though. You can have an owl we provide, nevertheless. Contact with the wizarding world is allowed as long as magic is not used. Have a good day, Mr. Malfoy…" the judge said and stood up to leave.

Draco stood up too, his heart beating rapidly against his chest. Did they want him dead? Draco couldn't live as muggle for five years? He couldn't do anything without magic! He didn't know anything about muggles! Hell, he didn't want to live with _muggles_!

"Mr. Malfoy…" a wizard said coming forward. "Hand over you wand, please…" he ordered extending his hand.

Draco saw the danger if he didn't do as told and surrendered to the evidence. He handed his beloved, new, wand to the Auror.

No, for Draco Malfoy life wasn't perfect.

"Five years…" Draco said as he exited the Court room. "I'm damned…".

Just then a young witch approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. Draco looked at her and raised an eyebrow in question.

"I'm here to apparate you to your new house in muggle London…" she said. Draco made to speak but the young witch cut him, "Don't you worry, Mr. Malfoy. All your things had already been moved…"

So they had planned this all? Draco thought and sighed.

"Lead the way, miss…" Draco said and the witch nodded. They disappeared from sight with a loud 'pop'.

--

Draco sighed again. He was angry. He preferred Azkaban to this! He looked out from the kitchen window and saw his new neighbor wave at him. The old lady smiled warmly at him but Draco just scowled and angrily closed the curtains at her.

Damn everything! He couldn't live like this.

Draco looked around him and studied his surroundings. His new home was comfortable, but not as much as his old mansion. His new home could be described as cozy, beautiful even, but it was small. Too fucking small. The bed was itchy, he already knew that he wasn't going to sleep at all for the next five years. He was going to die from deprived sleep. That is if he didn't die of hunger first. How the heck was he supposed to cook? Did he have to buy food himself from those what that stupid girl called them? Morkets? Merkets? Super-dumper? Ah, what the heck…

Muggles are stupid.

No wand, no magic. He will go insane. He'll go crazy! And if that old ghoul smiled at him again…

Damn it all…

He looked at the strange silver object he was sitting next to. What did she called them? Water tip-taps? Wait, water? If that was the case at least he won't die of thirst…

He touched the silver object. Nothing. He studied the strange object at hand. There were two kind of knobs. What if he pulled one?

No, nothing.

What if he pushed one?

"No, damn it…" he cursed to himself.

He then tried to turn it around. Yes! Something was happening…!

"OW! It's too fucking hot!" Draco jumped away from the cursed water-top. He stared at it and it stared evilly back. The water kept going out of it, but Draco was afraid to try to stop it. Steam rose from the pot under the silver object. Hot water started to pour out of it.

"I'm going to drown!" Draco panicked and searched around the house for help. "Damn it!"

Draco needed help, he thought as he closed the kitchen door loudly behind him. His eyes spotted the telephone somewhere on his right. He knew how to use this! The Ministry uses them all the time. He could do it.

But, then again… who could he call? Who would be willing to help him? Who was so selfless to actually help Draco Malfoy, the ex-Death Eater?

His hopes vanished again and he was left with a sense of sadness. He caressed the telephone, his silver eyes blank.

He was damned.

And then a name came to his mind.

"Yeah, well he owns me…" Draco said to himself, "After all he put me in this mess…" and dialed Potter's number.

A woman's voice answered him immediately.

--

"Who could be?" Harry said as he took the phone from Miss Bennett hand. "Harry Potter here? How could I help you?"

Silence. No response. Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Hello?" he tried again. Ron looked at him, strangely, and Harry shrugged. "I'm sorry but I'm busy and I can't waste time listening to… no one's talking…"

"I'm no _no one_, Potter. You should know that…" a familiar voice said from the other side.

Harry almost dropped the phone. Almost.

"Malfoy?" he exclaimed and at this word Ron widened his eyes.

"What does that…" the red-headed started but Harry started to talk again:

"How do you…"

"Listen, Potter. It's enough I know how to use this damned muggle thing, so don't make me waste anymore time…"

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry's tone was harsh.

"I…" Draco said, "I… I need your help. Can you _help_ me?"

Harry Potter's life had been perfect. Untill that moment...


	2. Starting something new

Harry Potter stared at the receiver with pure shock. This was not happening. Surely, this must be a dream because never would Draco Malfoy -_Malfoy_ of all people!- contact _him_, Harry Potter, in his office, through a _muggle_'s device, to ask for _help_. That was impossible. He was definitely having some kind of a nightmare. Yes, he was asleep in his bed with Ginny at his side, who was, in the meantime, trying to wake him up.

"Are you listening to me, Potter?" the so-called nightmare said, clearly pissed off, and Harry had to accept the fact that, no, he wasn't dreaming. Draco Malfoy had really called him.

"What did you say?" was all Harry could utter.

Draco was pissed off. Are you really that stupid, Potter? I asked you if you could help me! Geez…What? Of course you are! You are stupid and that's final. Now would you just let me speak, I don't really want to waste anymore time on this damned muggle thing. Thanks to you… yeah, you heard right! Thanks to _you _now I'm blocked for five years in this muggle hell! What don't you understand? I have to live as a muggle for five years! Who told me to do that? The judge, of course, idiot! That's my punishment for following my dad's steps and that maniac you so gladly accepted to destroy… what? It's still too difficult for you to understand? Five years, for Merlin's beard! Five years without magic! No, I can't do anything or I'm going to be Dementor's food. Please, would you just let me talk? I don't have much time! I'm going to drown! I need your help, now! Come to this address immediately or I'll die!

And then he hang up. And Harry was more confused than ever. Ron approached him and poked him awake, clearly eager to know what happened and why Draco Malfoy had called him of all people.

"So?" the red headed said. Harry looked at him and gave the phone back to Miss Bennett.

"He asked me for help..." Harry said, "Apparently he is going to die in some kind of muggle way…"

"Really?" Ron grinned from ear to ear. "Well, that's good to know!"

Harry couldn't do but smile a little at his friend's antics. He then continued:

"He told me the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had sentenced him to five years as a muggle and that he can't use magic or he'll be immediately sent to Azkaban…"

"And you have to help him, because…?" Ron asked, clearly not wanting Harry to do anything of the kind. Harry looked at him but didn't answer. He asked himself again why Draco had choose him and realized that maybe he knew Harry was the only one who would actually listen to Draco's pleads. Harry was raised by muggles. He knew everything about them, Draco didn't. For the blond man, non-wizards were aliens, boring and weak creatures that didn't worth spending time on. Moreover, who else could Draco call? His ex-friends, Harry remembered from those times he encountered them in the Last War, didn't consider Draco as a prince anymore. He was nothing to them. Draco's parents were in the same muggle-knowing level as their son was. If Draco had tried to call any of his other's ex peers they would probably have laughed in his face. Harry had just to picture Draco calling Ron to know what would happen.

So that left Harry.

Harry Potter, the saviour of the wizarding world.

Harry knew what meant to suffer and wouldn't say no to someone who really needed help.

But then again it was Draco Malfoy they were talking about. After all Malfoy had done to him and his friends, Harry didn't really want to help him. He could forget the call and let Malfoy get out of this mess all by himself. He could do that.

But…

But…

Harry groaned.

"You are not really considering the idea of helping him, do you?"

The sentence pushed Harry out of his thoughts and he looked at Ron a little confused:

"What?"

"I think it's a bad idea…" Ron sighed, "After all he has done, are you really thinking of helping him?"

"I don't know, Ron…" Harry said. He really didn't know what to do and Ron seemed a little relieved by Harry's words. Silence fell over them for a moment before Harry spoke again:

"Let's go to Hermione" Harry said, "She works in the law department and I really need to ask her something about…"

Ron was out of the door before Harry could finish what he was going to say. A grin started to form on Harry's lips. Ron was so predictable…

"Ron and Hermione sitting in a tree!" Harry started to sing then.

"SHUT UP!" was the immediate response.

--

They found Hermione searching through the shelves of her study for something. She seemed deep in concentration and she didn't hear them coming in.

"Hey, 'mione!" Ron said and she finally stopped what she was doing to greet them.

"Ron! Harry!" she exclaimed with a wide but curious grin. Ron approached her and kissed her on the lips. Harry looked politely away. It was still too strange for him to see Ron and Hermione kiss.

"So, what's the matter? Make it quick, because I have a case going on right now and…" Hermione left the phrase hanging, immediately remembering what she was doing before her friends interrupted her.

"Err…" Harry said then, "Draco Malfoy called me…"

Hermione's attention was immediately on him.

"Draco Malfoy?" she asked, not sure she heard right.

"Yeah…" Ron said, "He told him something about being punished into living as a muggle for five years or something. Do you know something about that?"

Hermione shot him a look that clearly said: 'Yes, of course. Or I wouldn't be here…' and before she could say something about Ron's lack in putting two and two together Harry exclaimed:

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Well, I didn't know you cared, Harry…" Hermione said, clearly confused. "Why? What did he say?"

"He asked him for help!" Ron cut in, amused. He laughed a little: "Can you believe it?"

"For help?" Hermione looked at Harry, surprised, but then a smile appeared on her lips: "Oh, Harry! And you said yes? I am so proud of you! Forgetting everything about stupid school rivalries and accepting to give a hand to those in need!" Hermione put a hand on his shoulder.

Harry's only thought was: okay, now I can't back off. I _have_ to help him.

"I'm so happy you matured… unlike _someone_ I know who can't put the past behind…" Hermione continued, shooting Ron a look that made the later blush.

"Err…" Harry said, stopping Hermione's talking: "I want to ask you something first…"

Hermione looked at him and titled her head to the side, but before he could actually ask what he wanted, Hermione talked:

"It's about the fact you asked the judges not to put the Malfoy's in Azkaban because Narcissa Malfoy helped you in the Last War, isn't it?" Harry nodded, "Well, they thought that Draco needed some kind of rehabilitation, that's all…"

"Meaning?" Harry asked.

"Malfoy's parent's beliefs about muggles and muggleborns in general can't be changed but Draco's is young enough to actually be able to change his views on the fact. It's rehabilitation, really. They are trying to do it with most young ex-Death Eaters and Malfoy is one of them…"

"Oh, I get it…" Harry said.

"You know, Hermione, that's quite impossible…" Ron said. "Malfoy won't change. He will probably live through these five years segregated in his house, out of muggle's view, waiting for the day he will have his wand back in his hands…"

Hermione looked at him and she smiled sadly as if to say that Ron, for once, was right.

"Maybe…" she said, "But…" she looked at Harry, "If you help him…" and with that said she rummaged through her things again, found what she was searching for and quickly exited the room.

"You are damned, Harry…" Ron said and Harry knew his friend was right.

--

Harry was searching through his wardrobe as Ginny watched him intently and a little confused. She asked if he was leaving her, with a small, sarcastic smile on her face and Harry stopped immediately what he was doing to look at her as if she suddenly went crazy.

"Didn't you know? A bastard called me…"

Ginny didn't understand what Harry was talking about and her boyfriend started telling her the story from the beginning again, for the hundredth time that day. Ginny laughed, finding the story so hilarious while Harry finally found what he wanted.

"See you later, babe…" Harry then said, kissing her on the lips. Ginny nodded and started laughing again.

If only she knew…

--

Harry didn't know which of those boring looking houses was the right one. They all looked the same, really. Draco should have been more specific on the matter. He glanced at the paper bag he was holding and then his eyes travelled around him once more.

Suddenly, he saw him.

Draco waved at him from a door on his right and then disappeared back inside as quickly as he had come out. Harry took his time, though, and entered the house some minutes later.

"Hell, what took you so long?" Draco exclaimed, dragging him in. Harry sighed annoyed.

"At least a how are you, a long time no see…" he started, clearly sarcastically, but Draco cut him off.

"I'm okay or, at least, I would be if you fixed that!" and Draco opened a door to their immediate left for Harry to see the Flood going on just in Draco's kitchen. He stared at Draco and enquired an eyebrow.

"Let me guess…" Harry said, smirking, "You didn't know how to open and _close _the water tap…"

"Just fix it, dammit…" Draco muttered and pushed Harry inside, almost making him slip on the wet floor. Harry's grin disappeared from his face as he cautiously entered the kitchen and, under Draco's relieved eyes, stopped the water from pouring. With a flick of Harry's wand the water on the floor disappeared completely, as if it had never been there.

"Geez, you don't care about the water's bill, do you?" Harry said, stiffening a laugh, and Draco looked at him, confused:

"Who's Bill?"

Harry blinked at him and then started to laugh. Draco's face went from confused to irritated and crossed his arms against his chest in defense.

"What?" he spat but Harry, used to the 'I'm going to kill you' look Draco was sending him, couldn't stop laughing.

"Is that why you told me you were dying?" Harry's eyes sparkled with amusement. Draco pointed at the innocent water-tap.

"It's evil!" Draco said, "Evil! I tell you!"

Harry sighed, his laugher slowly fading away.

"You don't even know how to use the most simple muggle device, do you?" Harry asked: "Have you ever attended Muggle Studies?"

Draco raised one elegant eyebrow.

"Are you kidding me, Potter?"

"Yes, you're right. That was a stupid question…" Harry said. "Oh, man. We have a lot of work to do…" he whispered, frustrated.

"Work?" Draco heard him, "I just need you to tell me how to use these things…" he said waving his hand around the kitchen, "…and then we can tell each other goodbye forever! I won't move an inch from this house! I don't need to know how muggle's live, 'cause I'll never get out of here until this punishment is over!"

"Really?" Harry said. Ron had been right. "Have you got any muggle money?"

"Err…" Draco was clearly embarrassed. "No…"

"So, how are you going to live? What are you going to eat if you don't have money to spend on food?"

"Err…"

"What about taxes?"

"Taxes?" Draco was confused. Harry sighed:

"The money you spend to pay for the water, for the amount of electricity you use, for the telephone!"

"I have to pay that?"

"Well. You can live in the darkness, without water and food if you don't want to…" Harry said, trying not to laugh at Draco's panicked face.

"How do I get muggle money?" Draco asked. Then a thought crossed his mind: "Do I have to _beg_ for it?" he asked, disgusted. "Is that what muggles do?"

"Relax, stupid! You work for it, just like in the wizarding world…" Harry said and then remembered who was he talking to and corrected: "You just work for it…"

"It's complicated…" Draco said. "And what if I can't find a job? What if I'm not good at it?"

Harry was surprised to see Draco so eager to find a job or to work at all. He remembered that never the Slytherin had moved a finger and had always ordered others to do stuff for him. Harry thought it was self preservation that made Draco talk like that.

Harry looked at Draco's face. The blond boy was deep in thought and it took a moment for Harry to understand how lost Draco must feel. Harry remembered the first time he entered the wizarding world, but, at least, back then, he had Hagrid to help him through it.

Harry felt pity.

"Don't worry…" Harry said, his voice suddenly getting softer. "One thing at a time… now we must do something about those robes…"

Draco was surprised:

"What? Is there something wrong with my robes?" Draco exclaimed, offended.

And that's how every concerned thought about the other man fled from Harry's head.

"Muggles don't wear robes. You'll have to wear what everyone else does…" Harry said with the last trace of patience he had. Draco seemed highly revolved by the idea.

"I'm not a muggle!" Draco exclaimed. Harry sighed in frustration:

"You are now! Get over it!"

The words slapped Draco hard in the face and the blond boy closed his mouth shut. Draco looked away, knowing that Harry was right, he didn't say a thing. Harry, at Draco's sudden silence, felt guilt run in his veins.

Man, where did he put himself into?

He looked at Draco's disappointed face and sighed. Draco Malfoy had become what he had always been proud of not being. Harry knew, deep in his heart, that that hurt the blond more than anyone could imagine.

"Malfoy, I…"

"Just give me your damned clothes, Potter…" Draco said, extending his hand, and Harry did as told. Draco took the clothes out from the paper bag, a little disgusted. "They stink just like you…" Draco said and went upstairs to his bedroom.

Harry just wanted to punch him. And then punch himself for feeling bad for Draco, twice!

"Thank you!" Harry exclaimed.

"You are welcome!" Draco exclaimed from above.

Draco Malfoy would always be Draco Malfoy, no matter what.


	3. Alone

Harry waited for Draco to come down and when he did, he remained speechless. Draco was… _sexy_. Harry didn't really want to use that word to describe Malfoy, but he couldn't find a better adjective. Draco was gorgeous in his muggle's clothes and he thought that hundreds of girls will throw themselves at his feet if he ever decided to get out of that house for a reason or another. For a moment he didn't recognize him.

"See something you like?" Draco said with smirk and Harry's eyes came back into focus.

"I'm just thinking that you may keep them…" Harry said. Draco shot a disgusted look at himself.

"As soon as I buy new, stupid muggle's clothes, I'll give them back to you…"

"Whatever…" Harry said and tried not to stare at Draco again. "I think that I'll have to lend you money 'till you get a job…"

Draco looked up at him as if he went mad. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want your money!" Draco exclaimed, "Hell, I don't want to owe you!"

"You won't owe me, anything…" Harry said, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. "I don't care what you say, but you need them…"

"But…!" Draco started but Harry shot him a dirty look.

"I like this less than you do, but you asked for my help, didn't you? And this is the best I can do for you!"

Whatever Draco had wanted to say in that moment died in his throat in an instant, because just then they heard something tapping on Draco's kitchen window and they both turned around, surprised, at the source of the noise.

It was the owl the Ministry had promised Draco. Harry was surprised but the fact and asked, as Draco made his way to open the window to let the bird in:

"Why do you have an owl?"

"The Ministry allowed me to contact the wizarding world by owl, if I wanted to…" was Draco's immediate response. "But…" the bird sat on the kitchen counter and nuzzled against Draco's hand immediately, amazing the blond a bit.

"But?" Harry asked.

"I really don't want to write to anyone…" Draco said, sincere, as he caressed the owl's head, lovingly. Harry stared at the scene before him, amazed.

"Why? Don't you want to write to your parents at least, to explain the situation?"

Draco turned abruptly to him.

"They don't need to know!" he spat, "I'm a muggle now, as you so obviously stated! Do you think they would be proud of me if I told so?"

Harry stared at him, open-mouthed:

"And you are going to disappear just like this, for five years?! Don't you think they will be worried?" Harry said, not really understanding why he cared so much and neither did Draco it seemed, as he exclaimed:

"Why do you care? What I do is not your business!"

Harry heaved a sigh.

"Whatever, Malfoy!"

--

For the rest of the afternoon Harry showed Draco how to use the most basic muggle devices. He was surprised to see that Ministry had provided the blond ex-Death Eater with everything he might need. Together they found a closet full of cleaning equipment, provided with brooms, a vacuum cleaner, dusters, detergents, washing liquids and so on.

"Like hell I'm going to use this…" was Draco's comment as he closed the door's closet with all the strength he got. Harry was glad he didn't have to show Draco how to clean. Too much time had passed since he had last cleaned his uncle's house and he really liked to just flick his wand for the dirt to disappear. In other words, he too had forgotten how to do it the muggle way…

The kitchen was the trickiest part. He had to repeat the same things over and over again for Draco to understand how to use the oven and the microwave, but the other man couldn't get it.

"So I have to just put the food in and then it's done?"

"It's more complicated than that!"

"Okay, so I have to decide the temperature and wait. What's the big deal?"

"No, you…" silence, "Just don't use it without me around…"

"Why?"

"Let's just say you could cook yourself too and not just the food…"

The dishwasher. The washing machine.

"I told you I'm not going to do something as vulgar as cleaning…"

"Then walk around naked!"

"I don't think the ladies will mind…"

The water tap. The sink.

"I'm not going near that thing ever again!"

"It can't hurt you!"

"Believe me, it can!"

The fridge.

"So you put the food in it…" Draco got it. "So you can freeze it and it doesn't go bad…."

"Exactly!" Harry was happy.

"So, if I don't have food, like now, can_ I_ go in when it's too hot outside?"

"…"

"What?"

Even the owl seemed a little taken aback.

--

Harry had a headache. Helping Draco was going to kill him but he couldn't back down now. It was time for him to return home, though, but he really was scared to leave Draco all alone in that house.

"Tomorrow I'll come pick you up so we can go to the super-market…"

"The _what_?"

"The place you'll have to go to buy food, drinks and all the things you need!" Harry said and was relieved to see the look of understanding on Draco's face. "I saw there's one just around the corner. We must go _together_. Don't try to go on your own!"

"Don't you trust me, Potter?"

"Sincerely speaking…" Harry said, "…no."

"That's low. I'm hurt …" Draco said, faking tears.

"Sure you are…" Harry said and then remembered something. "There is another way to have food but that could be a little unhealthy…"

"Just tell me…" Draco said. He was hungry. He had to eat since that morning, when the Ministry called him to tell him about his past as a Death Eater. He had surrendered himself to the fact that he wasn't going home that day and that he was going to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban and he had lost his appetite.

Now, surprisingly, with Potter showing him everything, with him just being there for helping him, he had reclaimed his good mood. It was strange how his supposed rival made him feel this way.

"It's called delivery…" Harry started to say in that moment. "You call and they bring the stuff directly to your house…"

"That's handy…" Draco said. "But I'm sure you have to pay them after that…" he continued with a note of sarcasm.

"Well, of course…" Harry said, not getting it, "Would you like pizza for dinner then?"

Draco looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What's it's called?" Draco said founding the world amusing. "_Pizza_?"

Harry shook his head as Draco cracked down laughing, repeating the word over and over again. Unexpectedly, Harry's lips curved into a little smile. Was it because, repeated so many times, the word did sound funny, or for something else, he didn't know and, really, he didn't care.

"I'm sure you'll love it…"

Draco stopped laughing and stared at him, entertained.

"You really think I'll like muggle's food?" Draco said, "What did you take me for?"

"Wanna bet, Malfoy?" Harry said, smiling, as he picked up the phone and pulled out a little paper from his pocket. Draco's smirked superiorly at him but didn't answer.

--

Harry won the bet even if Draco didn't want to admit it loudly to his rival.

"Do you want another piece?" Harry taunted.

"If you continue I'll eat your hand with that…".

--

"Remember tomorrow…" Harry said, watching the darkening sky out from Draco's kitchen's window.

"Yeah, yeah… to the supermarket, together, blah blah blah…" Draco said, sitting soundly on the sofa in the living room. Harry rolled his eyes and looked at Draco.

"Are you sure you'll manage?" he asked a little worried.

"I'm not a baby, Potter…" Draco said.

"Are we sure about that?" Harry said, smirking. "After all I'm going to be your _baby_-sitter from now on, until the day you'll grow up…"

Draco threw a pillow on Harry's head. The boy-who-lived laughed.

"Okay, then…" Harry said, as the laugher subsided. "See you tomorrow…"

"Yeah, yeah, just go…" Draco said and the raven disappeared from sight.

Draco sighed and his eyes rested for a while on the spot Harry had disappeared. Everything was silent. Draco hadn't notice how friendless could the house feel like without Harry around.

It was too quiet. It was a silence he wasn't accustomed to. A strange feeling raised in his heart. He know the feeling: he felt lonely. For a moment he wanted to call Harry to come back to him, but the thought left his mind as soon as it had come. Just then, the owl flapped his wings, rested on the fireplace and looked at Draco, it's big eyes full with interest.

"I can't find a name for you…" Draco said. Even his voice seemed lonely without someone to spat back at it. The owl blinked and flied to him, wanting to be patted. Draco stayed quit for some moments before he spoke again: "What about Harry?"

The owl looked at him and peeped in agreement.

"Potter doesn't need to know I called you that…" he continued. The owl seemed to understand as it peeped again. Draco smiled.

Suddenly, he didn't feel so alone.


	4. The supermarket

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning. The birds were chirping happily, the sun was shining, and, well, you know the rest…

The alarm clock started ringing. Soft groans.

"Damn…"

Harry slowly opened his eyes and looked at the time, or at least, at what he could see written on the clock without his glasses on. Ginny shuffled beside him and suddenly Harry felt a soft and warm arm around his waist.

"Do you really have to go to _him_?" Ginny whispered near his ear. Harry sighed.

"Yes, or he'll do something stupid…" Harry said and made to stand but Ginny firmly grabbed his arm.

"He _will _wait for you…" Ginny stated with a sly smile and pulled Harry back to her again. Their lips crashed into a kiss and for a moment Harry thought that what he was doing was wrong. Then he stopped thinking altogether.

--

Potter was late. Incredibly late.

And he was hungry. Damned hungry. Didn't that Potter know that he shouldn't leave a Malfoy without food? Well, he will have to learn it the hard way, then…

Draco tapped his slender fingers on the wood table of his kitchen impatiently. Potter should have been there fifteen minutes ago! Who did he think he was? Leaving Draco like that! And he couldn't go anywhere! He said, no, ordered, to go to that –what was it?...a supermarket! Yeah, that was the word… together! Where the hell was he??

Draco eyed the owl and for the first time he thought that maybe muggles didn't have owl-food. What was he going to buy to his poor Harry? Draco couldn't leave him without food!

Harry the owl was strangely perceptive of Draco's thoughts and as if on cue he tapped the window with his little beak. Draco understood immediately.

"Oh, yeah…" Draco said, almost bitterly. "You hunt…" and went to open the window. "At least you don't have to wait for that stupid, idiotic, son of a…"

The owl chirped at him, in indignation, before flying away to search for his breakfast. Draco watched him fly for a while and then made up his mind.

"I'll go by myself!" Draco exclaimed. "Exactly. Take that, bastard…" and with that said, while muttering to himself all the kinds of adjectives that described Potter, he took his home's keys and stepped outside in the morning air.

"Good morning!" an old lady greeted him as Draco made his way to the supermarket. Draco rolled his eyes to the sky.

"Perfect…" he whispered, "That old ghoul…"

The old lady, seemingly unaware of Draco's irritation, smiled broadly at him. She was working in her garden, her hands and face dirty with earth. She stood slowly up and approached him, extending her hand in greeting.

"You are my new neighbor, it's a pleasure to meet you!" she said, cheerfully. Draco glanced at the dirty hand and it was with difficulty that he extended his own hand to shake hers. The old lady smiled even brighter. If that was even possible, Draco thought, she seemed very amused by the fact.

"I'm Mrs. Dunham…" she said.

"Draco… Draco Malfoy…" the blond said. Too grumpy to stay there and chat stupidly with old ghouls he continued: "I'm going to the… supermarket and I'm quite in a hurry, so if you excuse me…" and made to go. The woman stopped him.

"If you need help with _anything _just ring my doorbell. It would be my pleasure to…!"

"Sure, now, if you excuse me…" Draco said, gritting his teeth and not really hearing what the old lady was trying to tell him.

"Anything!" the old lady exclaimed again as Draco ran for his life.

"Potter said it was just around the corner. But…" Draco thought, glancing behind him to make sure the old ghoul wasn't anywhere near him, "…what does a supermarket looks like?"

His question was immediately answered when he turned the corner and a giant building hit his vision. Written in big, red character on its top was the supermarket's name. Draco smiled. It hadn't been that difficult. He looked around him and then at the families entering and exiting the building, provided with trolleys, full with bags.

"I want one of those…" Draco muttered and looked around him in search for one but he couldn't see them anywhere. Draco gave up, not really in the mood to wander around the building to see where he could get a trolley, and entered the shop.

Draco remained open mouthed at the sight before him. Rows and rows of shelves with food. Delicious food. Not as delicious as that… what was it?... pizza! But delicious nonetheless. He watched at the people around him putting the products in their trolleys and he finally understood what they were for. For a moment he was keen to go out again and take one, or steal it from someone, he didn't know, but then he was too hungry and wanted to get this over with, take the food home and finally eat as quickly as he could.

"I'll just have to grab everything and carry it home in my arms…" Draco thought. "Muggles are so plain…".

--

Harry was late. Awfully late!

He appeared just before Draco's front door and hoped that the boy hadn't done something stupid and had waited for him. He blamed Ginny for this but he couldn't do anything now. Well, he blamed a little himself too, for not managing to say no to her. Oh, well…

"Malfoy!" Harry shouted and knocked the door. "Malfoy! Sorry I'm late but you see I was kinda delayed…" he knocked again, louder this time. Harry knew he could just apparate inside but he didn't want to risk seeing Malfoy in underpants that early in the morning. "Malfoy!" he shouted.

"Are you searching for Mr. Malfoy, sir?" a voice asked from behind him and Harry turned around, his heart beating loudly, fearing the worst. An old lady looked at him, curiously, and continued: "I'm sorry but he's not at home right now…"

"What…?" Harry's voice dropped two octaves. The old lady continued:

"He went to the supermarket, Mr. Potter…"

And before Harry could register what the old lady said he ran away. He hoped with all his heart that Draco hadn't already done something stupid.

Draco had no money.

He hoped Draco had remembered at least _that_.

--

Draco's arms were full with food and he was happy. Now he just had to go home. Where was the exit again? Oh, there…! And 'there' he made to go, under the inquisitive eyes of the cashiers. An annoying piece of salami was blocking his vision and twice he stomped on somebody's foot. 'Hey' and 'Watch were you are going!' could be heard everywhere.

Suddenly, one of the cashiers decided to intervene. She stood up from her place and everyone watched in reverent silence her approach with that crazy client who wandered around the place in circles with a mountain of food in his arms.

"I'm sorry, sir…" the woman said, tapping the man gently on the shoulder. Draco turned abruptly to her but the movement made the salami fall on her head.

"Ow!" she exclaimed. Draco was just happy he could see again. The cashier recovered from the blow immediately and she tried to speak again: "I'm sorry, sir, but what you are doing is wrong…"

Draco raised his eyebrows at her.

"I'm just taking some food, that's all…"

The cashier sighed: "That's what's wrong, sir…"

"Isn't this a supermarket?" Draco said, slightly pissed off. "Isn't this what it's supposed to do?". He couldn't understand muggle's logic. Was that woman stupid?

"You have to pay that, sir, before you can take it home…" the cashier tried again. Draco 'aah'-ed in understanding. Yeah, Potter had said something along those lines too…

Damn, he had forgotten he had to pay for that…

"Err…" Draco said, embarrassed, beside the mountain of food. "I have no money for this…"

"Then you are robbing us!" the cashier exclaimed. Draco didn't know what to do…

--

Harry arrived at the supermarket just in time to see a mob gathered all around the exit. The object of their attention was hid from his sight and as he approached them he asked the man nearer to him:

"What's happening here?"

Oh, how much he dreaded the answer.

The man, seemingly unaware of his fears, said: "A crazy blond wants to rob the supermarket…"

Harry's felt his stomach twist into a knob.

"That's not all!" a woman said, having overheard their conversation, "He hit the cashier with salami!"

"He did what?" Harry asked more to himself than the woman near him and just then he heard Draco's voice somewhere ahead of him exclaim:

"I'm borrowing it!" he was saying to, what Harry realized, was the cashier. "That's different!"

"It's stealing! Sir, I will have to call the police!"

Harry immediately started pushing the crowd out from his way. He needed to get to Draco. Now!

"The police? What's that?" Draco said, startling the cashier. "Listen…" he continued when he saw the woman slowly backing down. "Potter will pay for this! He…"

"Oh, damn…" Harry muttered and pushed not so kindly a man away to arrive to Draco faster, but the more he pushed the more he seemed unable to get to the blond.

"Is this _Potter_ guy your…" the cashier gulped, "…accomplice?"

"What?" Draco said, and started laughing, "No, no, no…" he said but just then the food he was holding swayed dangerously in his arms. He tried to steady it and in doing so his trousers were revealed. The cashier started to scream, pointing to something in Draco's pocket.

"He has a gun! He has a _gun_!"

Everyone was in panic.

And just then Potter managed to approach the flabbergasted and more than a little confused blond and the screaming cashier.

"Everyone!" Harry shouted, loudly enough so anyone could hear him. The cashier looked at him in terror.

"It's his partner!" someone screamed and Harry was sure he was going to die just there in embarrassment, as Draco shouted:

"Potter! There you are!"

"He must have a gun too!" someone said. Harry looked around him and then at Draco's trousers. He put a hand in Draco's pocket, upsetting the other man, and pulled out a piece of... cheese.

"This is your gun!" Harry shouted, raising the cheese in the air. "So, stop panicking…"

"Hey, that's mine!" Draco shouted but Harry shut his mouth with his free hand. The mob around them was now more curious than scared and Harry wanted the ground to just open up and eat him alive.

"Oh, man…" Harry said, before shouting: "I'm sorry for everything!" he said, "But you see… Michael… yes, Michael here is a patient in a… a… a mental hospital!"

"Mmmh?" Draco whimpered but Harry shot him an angry look. Everyone was looking at them.

"I'm his doctor…" Harry continued. "And he… disappeared from my sight when I wasn't looking…" he declared. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding but this was he's… he's day out of the hospital and…"

Everyone started chattering. The cashier seemed to relax and when she did she said:

"He still has to pay those, though…"

"Of course, of course…" Harry said and looked at Draco, "Say sorry to the cashier, _Michael_…"

Draco's shot him his most dirty look. The cashier smiled at them, or, better yet, she smiled at Harry amiably.

"It doesn't matter, sir…" she said, "Now, could you just come to the cash desk, please?"

"Thank you, miss…" Harry said, nodding at her in gratitude. "Let's go, _Michael_…"

"Bastard…" Draco said behind Harry's hand.

--

"This is _all_ your fault!" Draco exclaimed as they made their way home. "If you had come at the right time, nothing of this would have happened!"

"I already said I'm sorry!" Harry said through gritted teeth. He was carrying all of Draco's stuff while the other man was totally bag-free.

"But nooo!" Draco continued, completely ignoring him. "You just had to come late! It's a miracle _nothing_ happened!"

"You call that nothing?" Harry exclaimed. "That supermarket will never let you in again!"

"Like I will miss them!" Draco said. "And what's with that 'Michael' thing, Potter?"

"Did you really want them to know your true name?" Harry exclaimed.

"At least couldn't you come up with a better story? Now they will see me and think I'm crazy or something!"

"You _are_ crazy! Look at what you've done!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know, if _you_ weren't there, that I had to go to the cash desk before I could go home!" Draco cried out, "How was I supposed to know that they had those _things, _thosestrange objects that beep when you put the food on them. That they have to sum the prices so you can pay the total amount of money… that… just admit it!" Draco suddenly shouted pointing an accusing finger at him. "It's all your fault!"

"Didn't I tell you to _wait_ for me?" Harry groaned.

"A Malfoy never waits, Potter!" Draco exclaimed.

"And a Potter is not a Malfoy's dog!" Harry spat back. Draco groaned in irritation. Harry rolled his eyes.

"I hate you!" Draco shouted. "I truly, really hate you!"

"Well, feelings are mutual, Malfoy!" Harry shouted as Draco opened the door to his house. "So learn quickly how to live as a muggle so you and I will never see each other ever again!"

"I will!" Draco exclaimed. "That's exactly what I had in mind!"

"Good!"

And with that the conversation was over.

Later, after Draco had eaten whatever he, or rather, Harry had bought, the blond had asked, almost hesitantly.

"So… could you accompany me to some muggle store to buy new clothes?"

Harry had looked at him a little in shock but if Draco was uncomfortable with his question he didn't show it. Harry knew, somehow, that that was Draco's way to say he was sorry. He didn't know what told him it was but he strangely knew and with a ghost of a smile on his face Harry answered:

"Sure…"

He thought he saw Draco smile but when he blinked at the ex-Slytherin again Draco was doing nothing of the sort.


	5. The Accident

"So…" Ron started, unsuccessfully trying to hide his grin from his friend. "How it's going with Malfoy?"

Hermione too looked up from the drink she had ordered to look at Harry, her chestnut eyes sparkling with curiosity. Harry gulped down some of his firewhiskey before answering to Ron's more amused than ever look.

"It's…" Harry tried to say. Stopped. Sighed. "It's a living hell…"

Ron nodded and urged him to go on, whereas Hermione seemed a little disappointed by Harry's statement.

"A living hell…" Harry repeated. "To tell you the absolute truth I don't understand why he asked me for help. Let's face it, he isn't really keen to learn how muggles live and he's eager to leave his house only in case of emergency. Yesterday he almost got arrested for stealing a supermarket!"

Hermione's eyes widened and she looked at Harry, surprised: "But it's been only two days!" she exclaimed. "And he almost got arrested at his first attempt to live as a muggle?"

"Yeah!" Harry exclaimed and Ron laughed loudly and so getting the attention of all the pub's customers. Hermione shot him a look but Ron couldn't help himself. "Anyway…" Harry continued when Ron's laughter subsided into soft hiccups. "Yesterday I had to accompany him to buy new clothes too…"

"Oh, oh!" Ron laughed, his eyes already twinkling in anticipation. "Tell us about it!"

Harry sighed.

"We went in the center of London…" Harry started. "…by subway…" Harry waited as Hermione exclaimed the word to a confused Ron and continued…

--

"This is the subway!" Harry exclaimed as they stepped onto the escalators. Draco looked down at the moving stairs and looked at Harry a little confused:

"Do muggles have magic too?" Draco asked, eyeing a little mistrustful down at his feet. "How do this things move?"

"By electricity…" Harry said, "…I suppose…" he added after a moment. Draco looked up at him again. "I'll tell you some other time what's that…" Harry answered Draco's silent question. "Watch your step!"

Draco carefully stepped off the escalator and looked at the place around them. Harry muttered something about buying tickets but Draco wasn't really listening to him.

"Oi, Potter…" he said following the raven, "Why did you take me down here? What is it?"

"I told you…" Harry started, calmly, while counting the money he had in his hand. "It's the subway…"

"Well, that wasn't very illuminating, Potter…" Draco said. "What does this 'subway' do, anyway?"

"Takes you around…" Harry said and grabbed Draco by the arm. "This way, come on! I'd rather not lose you!"

"Relax, Potter!" Draco exclaimed, trying to free himself from Harry's grasp. "I'm not going anywhere!"

"Yes, I know. But this place is huge and…" Harry didn't continue. Draco stopped asking questions and studied the place and the people around them. Harry was still holding his arm, but they didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, I get it!" Draco exclaimed as soon as a train passed before them. "It's kind of a train station, only underground…" the blond seemed proud of himself. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? It wasn't that difficult to explain!"

Harry didn't answer him as he was thinking about the best way they should go to arrive to their destination faster. Draco was a little pissed off at Harry ignoring him but whatever he had wanted to say died in his throat as they both stepped into the train. Draco widened his eyes as more people entered after them until they were pushed into a corner. Harry and Draco's faces were inches apart, they could feel each other breaths on their cheeks and Harry's arms were on either side of Draco on the hard surface behind the blond. Draco felt his face burn, even if he didn't understand why, and he couldn't stop thinking he wanted to get out of there. Immediately!

"Sorry about this…" Harry said almost in his ear. "Peak hour…"

"Why are we like this? This is a train, no? With seats and the rest… Why are we all together like… like… I don't know what…" Draco was starting to feel rather hot. Why no one opened a window? Why Harry was so close to him? "Why are we like this? I can't share my personal space with others, you know that… I'm a Malfoy, I…"

"Shut up…" Harry said. He didn't want to look at Draco straight in the face. He felt his face burn. What was happening to him? Harry looked around him. He wanted some distraction from the soft breathing he could feel on his neck. Why did it make him feel like this? Too many people… yeah, that must be it.

"How dare you tell me to shut up?" Draco exclaimed. "I…"

"You are going to use the subway whenever you'll go for shopping, work, or whatever you are going to do for the next five years…" Harry said. He couldn't look at Draco. He was sweating at the mere thought of their proximity. What the hell was happening to him?! "But I promise you…" Harry continued. "That it won't be always like this…" Harry said. "I think I choose the wrong time to use the subway…"

"So it's your fault…" Draco said.

"Yeah, I admit it…"

"I like when you do…" Draco said, smirking. And then Harry made a mistake: he turned around and looked at Draco. The blond didn't stop smirking, oblivious to the building tension between them, but his smile did flutter for a moment as Harry opened his mouth to speak in retort. The train stopped abruptly and Harry was pushed down onto Draco by the swarm of people that wanted to get off. Green eyes met silver, grey ones and for a moment the world stopped spinning. It was merely a brush of lips but their hearts stopped beating for a moment. Draco looked at him, confused, and the raven immediately moved away from the blond, blushing maniacally.

The train was almost empty now and Harry could now step back. Harry put a hand on his mouth and he could feel his face turn into a bright tomato. Dammit! Why was this happening! That wasn't a kiss… that wasn't a kiss… that wasn't a kiss!

Draco put a finger on his lips but then moved it away as if burned. It was an accident. He looked up at Harry, who was in the meantime avoiding his eyes. Draco looked down and blushed. That wasn't a kiss, he repeated to himself. An accident. Nothing to worry about. So why did his heart beat so fast?

"Oh, man… I'm sorry…" Harry said then, regaining his voice back. Draco didn't look up at him, deep in thought. "I'm sorry I…"

"Are we there yet?" Draco suddenly said, looking up. He was going to ignore this. It was nothing. His heart wasn't beating fast. He wasn't blushing. It was nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing…

Harry looked at him, flabbergasted. He waited for Draco to scream, yell at him, even punch him. But this indifference was totally unexpected. Harry could still feel how soft those lips had felt and _that_ frightened him more than the kiss itself.

'It wasn't a kiss…' Harry told himself, again. Draco looked at him, expectedly. 'It was nothing…'

"So?" Draco asked again. Draco hoped his voice wasn't quivering. He hoped he sounded sure of himself. He hoped Harry couldn't hear how fast his heart was beating.

"We…" Harry said, "Ours is the next stop…".

And with that the tension broke like glass into million of little pieces.

Nothing had happened.

But in their heads their only thought was: why I feel like this, why, why, why…?

--

Harry blushed at the memory but neither Ron nor Hermione seemed to notice. He didn't tell them what exactly had happened in the subway and had just described how much Draco had whined about this or that, which wasn't entirely true, but either was it entirely false. Ron was laughing loudly while Hermione tried to hide her face as all customers turned around to look at them one more time. Harry gulped down the rest of his firewhiskey. He already knew what would happen if he told his best friends about The Accident. Ron would stop laughing, which would not be a bad idea, and would spatter all his drink on Harry, which _was_ a bad idea, and Hermione would tell Harry to stop thinking about it, because, really, it was just an accident. It didn't mean anything.

And that were exactly the words that Harry didn't want to listen. It was weird but he really _didn't want _to stop thinking about it. As much as he tried to repress the feeling, something inside his stomach turned and twisted at the mere thought of Draco's lips on Harry's ones. As much as he tried to ignore it, there was always a voice inside his head that wanted to do it again.

Harry thought he had gone crazy and that would really explain everything. He tried to imagine Ginny and all those weird feelings slowly faded away as the red-headed's beautiful face resurfaced in his memory.

"So what happened next?" Ron asked, a smile still playing on his lips. Hermione shot another shy look, at the clients around them, before turning her attention back at Harry.

"We went to buy Malfoy's clothes…" Harry said. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, we know that…"

"Malfoy is such a girl when it comes to clothes…" Harry continued. Ron snickered:

"I can imagine…" the red-headed said.

"He made me wait two whole hours outside the dressing rooms! And that was just for two pairs of jeans! It was terrible!" Harry started to complain, finally getting his pain out of his system. "And then there were the shirts, coats, trousers… even to choose a belt took him at least half an hour!"

Ron laughed and even Hermione tried to hide an amused smile. Harry remembered how much he had sweated, waiting for Draco to finally choose! He remembered all the: "Do you think this goes with this shirt?"

Harry thought that Draco asked those things just for the sake of it, because, in the end, he never wanted Harry's opinion on the matter ("Really, Potter. Knowing your taste I shouldn't even think of asking you something so important!"). But it had seemed to Harry that in the end Draco loved muggle clothes and that he cared for Harry's judgment. For example when Draco was trying on a blue shirt and Harry had blurted out, without even thinking that it was futile:

"It doesn't suit you at all… take the red one, instead…"

The red one was a shirt that Draco didn't want to even try. Rejected immediately, the shirt had stayed on the counter without a second look. Draco had shot him a look that clearly said: this-is-not-your-business. In the end, however, the red shirt was in the 'must-buy', as Draco's called it, pile of clothes.

"Harry?" Hermione asked suddenly, pushing Harry out of his thoughts. "Harry? Is something bothering you?"

Harry blinked at her, a lot.

"What?"

"You…" Hermione stopped, searching for the right words. "You seem so distant…"

"I was just thinking that Malfoy sometimes truly surprise me, that's all…" Harry said and felt his shirt wet as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Yuk! Ron!" Harry and Hermione shouted in unison.

"Sorry!" Ron said, cleaning his mouth with a handkerchief. "Sorry, mate, did I heard right? Malfoy surprises you?"

"Well…" Harry said, blushing a little. "He…"

--

It happened on their way to the cash point. Harry was carrying Draco's clothes. He couldn't understand how, in the end, he had become Draco's personal carrier but as much as he thought about it, the more he couldn't comprehend the reason.

Harry had nonchalantly thrown the clothes before the cashier and Draco had shouted at him: "Potter! Be careful with my clothes!"

"Yes, princess…" Harry said, bitterly. "Ouch!"

Draco had kicked him.

"You are so immature, Malfoy!"

Harry thought he saw the cashier look at them amused. Draco was about to retort when he remembered something.

"Don't pay yet!" Draco exclaimed, "I forgot to take something!" and he ran away. Harry shouted back at him:

"Don't lose yourself!"

Draco had raised his middle finger at him. The cashier started laughing and seeing the look Harry gave her, she immediately put a hand on her mouth.

"Your boyfriend is really cute, isn't he?" the cashier said after a little, hoping Harry could forget her previous gaffe. Harry raised his eyebrows.

"He…!"

Draco ran and searched for a pair of trousers he had left behind when suddenly he felt something pulling his hand. Draco looked down and saw a five years all boy looking at him with water-filled eyes. Draco looked around him but could see no woman searching for her kid. The boy started bawling and Draco kneeled down at his eye-level.

"What's up, little guy?" Draco said, his voice strangely soft. The boy sniffed and muttered:

"Mom… where is she?"

Draco took him in his arms.

"Let's go search for her… hey, what's your name, boy?"

"Bryan…" the boy said between tears. Draco smiled.

"Okay, Bryan, let's go search for her…" he said and the boy nodded a little.

Harry couldn't put in the cashier's mind that Draco was not his boyfriend when the said man came to the cash point. Harry looked at Draco, then at the boy in his arms.

"Err…" Harry said, "Is that what you forgot?"

Draco rolled his eyes at him and then threw Harry the pair of trousers with his free arm.

"No, this is what I forgot!" Draco said, "He, on the other, had lost his mother…"

Harry stared at Draco with the kid in his arms, open-mouthed, for a moment before turning to the cashier and asking her to use the microphone to search for Bryan's mom. Harry shot Draco a look and found himself totally fascinated at how much the blond man seemed at easy with the younger boy. Harry felt his heart skip a beat when he heard Draco laugh and telling Bryan that everything was going to be alright. Harry couldn't recognize the Draco before his eyes and without thinking said:

"You surprise me…" Draco had looked at him, "I expected you to kick the boy away not help him… that's… I…" Harry stumbled on his own words.

Draco snorted at Harry and with a sarcastic smirk said:

"I may not be as _perfect_ as you but I know what it feels like to loose your parents…"

Harry raised an eyebrow and Draco sighed, annoyed: "It happened when I was eight years old, in Diagon Alley. I lost sight of my parents and couldn't find them anymore…" were Draco's laconic words.

After some minutes the mother came crying to them and took Bryan from Draco's arm. She thanked the blond over and over again but Draco just smiled at her, saying it was nothing, that Bryan is such a good boy and so on.

"I don't believe that, Harry…" Ron said, "Malfoy is not such a good guy…"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. Harry didn't listen to them anymore. He couldn't stop thinking at what happened. Because for a moment a single thought had ran over and over in his mind, telling him that maybe, just maybe Draco Malfoy wasn't the arrogant prick Harry had thought all those years he was.

And that made Harry smile.


	6. The kitchen part 1

Harry knew that sooner or later he had to answer to the question: "What is this?" asked by no other but a very curious Draco Malfoy who would walk in the meantime around a black box, feeling the smooth surface of it's screen against his finger, almost afraid, holding off in case the box would suddenly stand up and eat him. Draco was, if Harry wanted to use a metaphor, like some kind of wild animal coming in contact with some kind of unidentified object.

Yeah, Harry thought, a wild animal.

A monkey, to be exact.

And Harry would have laughed at the mere image in his head if he wasn't absolutely, totally, without any trace of doubt… _late_. His Auror duties were waiting impatiently for him and for once even Ron would scold him for preferring monkey-watching to his job that -should Ron remind him again?- Harry loved so much?

Harry thought that being told off by Ron Weasley wasn't something to be proud of. Not that he will tell his friend that, of course…

"So?" the monkey was impatient too, it seemed.

"It's a television…" Harry sighed.

"Enlightening…"

Harry sighed again. Louder.

"Okay, err…" Harry started. "Push the button… yeah, that one…"

As soon as Draco did what was told someone started to scream from inside the little box. Draco clutched his heart and almost tripped on the couch behind him as he watched with horrified eyes a woman screaming her lungs out. A shadow, knife in hand, dirty with blood, was approaching her… slowly…

"What the hell, Potter!" Draco shouted, "They are going to kill her! Do something!"

Harry sighed and took the remote control lying almost casually on the TV set and pushed another button. Draco watched fascinated as the terrified woman changed in two men talking relaxed to each other.

"How did you…" Draco said touching the screen. "Are there people in there?"

"Malfoy…" Harry tried, pushing the remote control in Draco's hands. "The woman before wasn't real. Well, she was but… she wasn't being killed for real. That it's called a movie! She was just an actress…

"People don't live _in_ the television. It's a little hard to explain but the things you see in this black box here are just images recorded in a studio…"

Draco just blinked at him. Harry should have known that 'movie' and 'actress' as well as 'television studio' were not words that could be found easily in Draco's dictionary. He needed time to explain everything to Draco and he didn't have any in that moment.

Harry could almost see the disapproving looks Shaklebolt was going to throw at him. He had to leave, now, but knowing that Draco wouldn't let him go without some kind of enlightenment he started:

"Well, pushing these buttons here you change channels… yes, those. Changing channels you can find the programs you like. If thrillers, like that with the woman, are not your thing just… thrillers… no, it's not some kind of food… no, it's were… well, they mostly kill and do… stuff in this kind of movies… but… well, as I was saying you can change the… remember whatever movie are you going to see is not real… no one dies, don't worry. If you are watching the news then the things you are going to see are probably real… or not. I don't know, sometimes they stretch the truth too much… what? News! There's a man or woman talking and talking and talking… there are the talk shows, but…" Harry glanced at the clock on the fireplace and cursed. "Sorry, I'll come back tonight to answer your questions! Have fun!"

'Pop'.

Draco blinked at the spot Harry had been standing not a minute before. Okay, he had to admit he didn't understand a thing Potter tried to say. Draco should have remembered, when asking Potter's help, that the man wasn't as bright as he wanted to show.

His explanations sucked, really…

Channels? Programs? Thrillers? News? What the heck?

Draco looked back at the black box and raised an eyebrow at the seemingly funny joke one of the two men said. Draco sighed. So movies weren't real, that much he could understand. Two, the thing Potter have shoved in his hands could change the picture shown in the box. People don't live _in_ the box but somewhere outside it... Okay, that was easy.

Draco stared at the remote control. So that was it? Heck, he thought that this television thing was more amusing than that. It was so plain…

Only _muggles_ could invent something so boring and stupid.

Draco sat heavily on the couch and watched the television with a uninterested look on his face. He played with the remote control in his hands for a moment and then started changing channels, as Harry instructed, over and over again.

His stomach grumbled. Draco cursed. He was hungry. If the television had been edible at least it would be of some use, Draco thought. He changed channel again…

"He could have at least told me how to stop this thing…"

Draco changed channel again.

"But he is so stupid…"

Click.

"A true moron…"

Click.

"I'm sure he has no brain whatsoever in that thick skull of his…"

Click.

"He thinks he is so good-looking… not that he isn't, but shouldn't he be a little more modest?"

Click.

"I'm more handsome than him…"

Click.

"Definitely…"

Click.

"And…" and there Draco stopped and watched enthralled as an old looking woman in the television cooked something that looked absolutely delicious. Draco's stomach groaned again.

"To make this you have to buy the following ingredients…" the old woman was saying with a kind smile. "First of all one pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves…"

Draco listened.

"Harry bought me that…" he whispered. "And that too… maybe… maybe I could…"

"Do we have everything?" the woman said and put an apron on. "Then we can start cooking! Preparation time is twenty minutes! Let's start!"

Draco stood up from his chair. He had never cooked in his whole life. But that seemed so delicious… he wanted it. He really wanted it. And without a second thought entered the kitchen and started doing what exactly the woman said.

He was going to eat that.

Definitely.

--

Mrs. Jennifer Dunham was more than just a little worried. Was it from the not so good-looking smoke coming out from Mr. Malfoy's kitchen's window or for the lack of cries of help, she didn't know. She was worried, thought, and that strange smell coming out from Draco's house wasn't so reassuring either.

Jennifer started to approach her neighbour's house. She looked once more at the smoke then rang the doorbell.

"Is everything all right?" Jennifer exclaimed when no one answered the door. "Mr. Malfoy?"

She persistently knocked the door. "Mr. Malfoy?"

She had to break in. Jennifer put a hand inside her pocket but just then the door slammed open.

"What do you want?" Draco said, obviously pissed off. Mrs. Dunham sighed in relief but her heart started beating rapidly once again seeing the black smoke coming out from Draco's kitchen.

"Mr. Malfoy you do realize your kitchen is burning down?"

"I'm perfectly aware of that…" Draco said after glancing back at the point Mrs. Dunham was looking with terrified eyes. "But it's all according to plan… now if you excuse me…" and made to close the door again. Jennifer put a foot between the door and entered Draco's house without further invitation much to Draco's displeasure.

"Mrs. Dunham!" Draco exclaimed as the old woman swiftly move in the crime's scene. Draco groaned and tried to pull the woman out. "I was just cooking… nothing is wrong! I really don't need your help! As much as appreciated it is…"

Mrs. Dunham's eyes widened at the scene before her eyes. The smoke was coming, as she had pictured, out from the oven where something that looked like a poor looking chicken (Mrs. Dunham wasn't sure) was burning. The counters and even the walls were filthy from what Jennifer thought was Draco's fight with the chick before the burning ensued. She immediately switched off the oven and coughed as she opened it to let the rest of the smoke out.

"Mr. Malfoy…" Mrs. Dunham turned slowly to the blond man behind her. "You seriously need some cooking lessons…"

Draco seemed a little embarrassed and blushed at Mrs. Dunham's words. The old woman smiled. "Should we start now?" she asked then.

Draco looked up at her surprised.

--

Draco didn't want that old ghoul's help. No, he didn't. He wanted her out of the house, immediately! Mrs. Dunham, if Draco remembered her name correctly, was however a very persistent woman.

"Arrogant ghoul…" he whispered as the woman walked around in his kitchen. And why did she have to comment on his cooking skills? Ungrateful woman! If she knew what he could do to her… oh, wait. No wand. Damn.

But Draco had to admit it was kind of her part to help him with this. Draco hoped she could help him. He needed help.

He had never felt so lost in his whole life.

He wished his parents were there to tell him what to do. To tell him that he could make it.

Draco watched as Mrs. Dunham showed him how to cut properly the vegetables. She smiled at him kindly and put the knife in his hands.

"Don't worry…" Mrs. Dunham said. "You can make it…"

Draco looked at her, surprised, but Mrs. Dunham didn't seem to notice. Draco smiled. For a moment he felt home.


	7. The kitchen part 2

"You know… it's not so difficult after you get the hang of this…" Draco said peeling the potatoes in his hands under Mrs. Dunham apprehensive eyes. Draco was sweating. Mrs. Dunham prayed. "It's quite easy, actually…" Draco continued. "I don't understand why they… ouch!"

To say that Mrs. Dunham waited for this to happen would be an understatement. Draco cursed and immediately put his index, bleeding finger in his mouth. Mrs. Dunham sighed. The cut wasn't too deep and would heal in a matter of days but Malfoy, being who he was, would whine about it for years to come and Mrs. Dunham knew it.

"Come on, Mr. Malfoy…" she tried to say as Draco cursed and glared at the innocent, half-peeled potato in his hand.

"Are you kidding, woman?" Draco exclaimed, "I'm not going to go this kind of servant thing ever again!"

"Mr. Malfoy, Draco, the first time is always difficult…" Mrs. Dunham said and took Draco's injured hand in hers. "See? It's not even bleeding anymore…"

"Well, that is beside the point!" Draco exclaimed. Mrs. Dunham sighed.

"I'm sure the next time you'll do a perfect job…" Jennifer said, smiling softly at him. "You are doing very well, Draco. I'm sure you'll know how to cook in no time!"

Draco had to admit that Mrs. Dunham was right. He was going pretty well, to tell the absolute truth, and that was because he had connected the art of cooking with the Potion's lessons he had attended at Hogwarts. Draco had always been good at Potions. He understood the logic behind it; he practically had the subject in his hands. Cooking was like breeding some kind of potion, he decided.

"Maybe…" he said after a moment, earning another kind smile from Mrs. Dunham.

"This…" the woman said after some moments of silence. "Will help you live on your own, think on your own, make your own decisions…"

Draco blinked at her. How could cooking help him do all that kind of stuff? It was ridiculous. He couldn't realize that Mrs. Dunham was talking about something else entirely, something deeper than simple cooking.

Draco nodded, not knowing what to say really, and after a moment of hesitation took the potato back in his hands and resumed peeling it. Mrs. Dunham sighed. Really? How could Potter manage with Draco? The little prince was so arrogant and lost. You needed so much patience when wanting to help him…

Wait a moment.

Why Potter agreed to help Malfoy in the first place?

"What is exactly your relationship with that young man I see coming once in a while here?" Mrs. Dunham asked bluntly but with an innocent smile on her face. Draco stopped in his tracks, not really expecting the question and accidently cut himself again.

"Oh, darn!" Draco exclaimed. Mrs. Dunham blinked at the reaction. Draco stared at his bleeding finger, his mouth agape. He tried to regain composure but suddenly the day when he and Harry accidentally kissed returned into his mind and blushed violently.

Mrs. Dunham was now more than just curious.

"We…" Draco said after a moment. "He just… helps me adapt to…" why the hell was he blushing? Didn't he already tell himself that that kiss wasn't nothing but an accident? "We… are nothing to each other…" he finally said. "I just asked him a favor, knowing he wouldn't refuse…"

"Oh…" Mrs. Dunham said, afraid she just stepped into something forbidden, unknown even to the two men. Silence fell between them and Draco reassumed what he was doing with more force than strictly necessary. The question had been ridiculous! The answer was even simpler. So why, damn it, his heart beat so much? Damn it. Damnit. Damnit.

--

"It's… delicious…" Draco said.

"You made it…" Mrs. Dunham stated, smiling. "Congratulations…"

"I did?" Draco was shocked with himself. He should keep a plate for Potter when he would return. Potter should see what Draco was capable of! Potter will see…

--

"Your house is filthy…" Mrs. Dunham said looking around the place with a disapproving look on her face. "And the kitchen is such a mess…"

"It's perfectly fine to me!" Draco exclaimed and the old lady shot him an 'I'm not that stupid' kind of look. "Okay… maybe it needs some cleaning…" Draco started.

"Maybe?" Mrs. Dunham sounded amused. Draco shot her a look.

"If you think I'm going to do something as vulgar as cleaning the kitchen, you are awfully wrong…"

"You are right…" Mrs. Dunham said. "You are not going to clean the kitchen…"

Draco let out a sigh.

"…but the entire house…" Mrs. Dunham concluded. "Now? Where do you keep the brooms?"

Draco knew he was damned.

--

"This is a vacuum cleaner…" Mrs. Dunham said. Draco was utterly annoyed at the way she was talking to him, like he was a retarded child or something… "You just…"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it! Push the button, do this, do that… Mrs. Dunham, you already told me twice! I'm not that stupid!" Draco said taking the muggle device from the old woman's hands. Mrs. Dunham didn't seem to believe Draco.

"Are you sure you don't…"

"Yeah, yeah! Now, look at me!" Draco exclaimed and pushed the button under Mrs. Dunham's worried eyes. The strange thing started to emit weird, guzzling sounds. Draco was a little scared, to say the least, but he didn't show it. Then it started to move frenetically in his hands. Even Mrs. Dunham made a step back.

"This thing is alive!" Draco shouted and lift the thing up.

Something that he should have never done…

The vacuum cleaner swallowed everything in its mere vicinity. Draco was terrified as he saw all the things, from paper to the living room's curtains, disappear from his sight. Mrs. Dunham laughed at Draco's terrified look.

"You old ghoul!" he shouted but the horrifying sounds the things was making covered his voice. Mrs. Dunham kept laughing.

"Stop this madness!" he shouted. Harry the owl, who had in the meantime been standing peacefully, on the fireplace, started flapping his wings around in panic. Draco was sure the vacuum cleaner was going to eat his owl! "Stop it! Stop it!"

Suddenly the madness stopped. Draco looked surprised at Mrs. Dunham holding the plug. Harry flied near his owner, still afraid.

"Now? May I show how to do it the right way?" Mrs. Dunham said, a smirk on her face.

"You are…" Draco whispered but the old lady smirked even more.

"And when we are finished with that…" Mrs. Dunham continued, "Sweeping, dusting and cleaning are in program. This place is going to sparkle!" the old lady said, raising her hands as if wanting to embrace the whole house. Draco's jaw slammed to the ground. The woman was crazy! "The windows, the doors, everything is going to twinkle!"

"Oh, man…" Draco wanted to die.

"Oh, and Draco?" the woman said, turning abruptly to him, with a serious but utterly amused smile on her face. "I'm not joking…"

Draco seriously wanted to die.

--

Draco Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy's heir. A man who never raised a finger to clean or do something as vulgar. A man who took money as something granted. A man who was known as the Ice Prince –prince being the key word here…- was, absolutely, totally exhausted..

Mrs. Dunham was, on the other hand, absolutely, totally… amused.

"Enough for today!" she exclaimed and Draco looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. He was too exhausted even to retort but the look he gave her was clear enough.

It said: enough? Heck. We could leave the house unclean for the rest of our lives!

Mrs. Dunham, though, didn't seem to receive the message as she was smiling widely at him as if expecting him to say something along the lines of: thank you for the help, which was, by the way, something completely untrue, because, heck, Draco was sure Mrs. Dunham had been watching him clean rather than help him.

Evil old ghoul. Evil. Evil.

The ev-, excuse me, Mrs. Dunham looked at the clock and gasped in fake surprise (clearly it was fake, Draco wanted to yell) at the hour.

"Oh, my, I should go…" the old ghoul, sorry I did it again! Mrs. Dunham said and with quick (but in Draco's eyes so slow) steps approached the front door. "See you tomorrow, Draco!"

Draco's eyes widened but before he could say something, anything, the woman was out from his sight.

"Damn…" he whispered. Or tried to, at least. Just then he realized that the television was still on. From the couch he was laying on he watched as an old woman (old enough to be Mrs. Dunham) in the screen started to talk. He watched fascinated at the way some men and a woman were listening at her. Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, now I get it…"

And finally the reason why muggles invented television was clear. It was a way to relax after a hard day of work. Blesses!

--

Harry decided to pay Draco a visit before returning home to Ginny. He was exhausted of course. His Auror duties that day had been strenuous but he had told Draco he would come that night after work, and, well, Harry wanted to make sure he was alright too.

Yeah. Make sure he was alright. Nothing else. All day Harry had been thinking about Draco and what he was doing, hoping the blond man hadn't touched a wire or something equally dangerous. What if…?

Harry wanted to slap himself for those thoughts! No, surely… no. But the more he tried to deny it the more he was worried and he apparated inside Draco's house with his heart beating rapidly against his chest.

And what he saw… well, Harry wasn't really expecting _that_!

Harry had already saw Draco crying. Well, more by accident than anything else but that time Harry knew there was a serious reason behind it. Now…

Well…. He should have expected Draco to cry to 'Titanic'.

He was such a girl, really…

"Ehm… Draco? Are you crying?" Harry wanted to laugh as Draco abruptly turned to him trying with all his might to hide his red, tear-filled eyes.

"No, I'm not!" Draco exclaimed and Harry wished he could laugh. But… see Draco crying… even for a movie as stupid as Titanic… did something to his chest… something akin to range against the thing that made the man cry and… and… what??

Stupid, stupid Harry…

"Draco…" Harry's voice dropped as the man looked at him, finally realizing the use of his first name by no other than Potter himself. "I…"

"Jack's dying…" Draco suddenly cracked and, under Harry's more than shocked eyes, threw himself in the raven's man arms.

"Draco…" Harry started. He felt like talking to a small child. "It's just a movie… Leonardo di Caprio is still alive…"

"Who?" Draco asked.

"The… oh, never mind…" Harry said and instinctively his arms tightened around Draco's body.

"Stupid Rose…" Draco muttered against Harry's shirt and Harry wanted to laugh but he couldn't. It was strange but… but…

"Harry?"

The sound of his name startled the savior of the wizarding world but he didn't show it.

"Yeah?"

"This house is too big for me…" Draco said against Harry's shirt, obviously avoiding looking at Harry straight in the eyes. "And… well… I'm not… used to…"

Harry couldn't understand what Draco wanted to say.

"Could you stay over…? Just tonight…"

And Draco didn't know where these words came from…

Maybe it was from overtiredness. Yeah, that was it…

Harry didn't know why…

"Yes…" Harry had said. "If that makes you feel better…"

Silence.

And then a tiny little: "Thank you…".


	8. Confessions in the dark

_Harry could feel __Ginny's breath against his face, her tender arms holding him tight. Even if the scene was familiar, something felt absolutely wrong. Suddenly something liquid and warm dropped on his cheeks and Ginny startled trembling in his arms. Fearful, Harry tried to look at her in the face, and when he did, he was taken aback by the tears streaming down her rosy cheeks…_

"_Why…" she said between sobs. "Why…"_

_Harry didn't know what was happening but his heart started to beat rapidly against his chest. Ginny crying was something he couldn't stand but somehow he knew he was the one to blame. _

_Ginny cried. Harry couldn't do but stare. Suddenly he felt a hand resting on his right shoulder and someone breathed in his ear:_

"_I know you want me…" _

_Harry felt a shiver run down his spine. He thought he knew the voice but he couldn't quite comprehend who was talking. His heart skipped a beat and suddenly he realized that Ginny wasn't there anymore. _

"_And I'm all yours…" the voice continued. _

_Harry felt his face flush. The way the voice talked aroused him. _

"_Leave Ginny…" the voice said. "You have me now…"_

_Harry felt his mouth dry. _

"_I can't…"_

"_She can't give you what I can…" _

"_I can't…"_

"_She doesn't make you feel the way I do…"_

"_I can't!"_

Harry suddenly woke up and was welcomed with the quietness of Draco's house. He glanced out from Draco's living room's window and was surprised to see that it was still pitch dark.

Harry slowly stood in a sitting position while his heart still beat rapidly in his chest. He could still feel the owner of the voice's breath against his ear. He knew that he wouldn't sleep anymore.

Ginny's crying…

How could he sleep if he knew he would see again those tears? How could he sleep knowing he will listen to that voice breath again those words? Harry was afraid. Afraid of what, he didn't know…

The silence that surrounded him made him understand why Draco was so keen on asking him, no, pleading him, to stay. It felt too lonely the night. There was a sadness Harry hadn't felt before. So deep in his thoughts, Harry was more than simply startled when he heard someone climbing down the stairs.

Harry abruptly turned around to the source of the noise and realized he couldn't see anything without his glasses on. He searched with his hand on the carpet, where he had put them the previous night before falling asleep.

"You can't sleep too?"

The lights flickered on.

Harry put his glasses on and focused on Draco's figure approaching him. Even in his pajamas the blond boy had that aura of pure nobility surround him. Everything he did was ethereal. As if he wasn't there but in the same time lighting the world with his presence. At least that how things were in Harry's eyes. The way he slowly moved…

The way Draco looked at Harry with those silver eyes, his lips a little apart…

"_She doesn't make you feel the way I do…" _the voice had said and Harry had to admit that, no, she doesn't… but he pushed the thought somewhere in the back of his mind. Not ready to be dealt with just yet…

"Well?" Draco said, clearly pissed off at Harry's lack of answer, and without waiting for one anymore made his way to the kitchen. Harry watched him go and finally he remembered how to speak:

"No, I can't…" he half-whispered. Draco looked at him and Harry thought he had seen a smile forming on the other's lips. "Why are you awake…?"

It took Draco a moment or two to decide if he wanted to respond to Harry or not. In the end, he said:

"I have… a lot on my mind…"

"Oh…" Harry only said and watched as Draco sat on one of his kitchen's chair. "Do you want a hot cocoa?"

Draco looked up at him, a little surprised. Harry thought that that was the closer answer to a yes he could get and starting moving around the kitchen while Draco watched him work in silence.

"I understand you don't feel… at ease… living as a muggle…" Harry suddenly said, breaking the silence. "It's hard, I know, without magic…"

"It's not that…" Draco suddenly said, taking Harry totally aback. The raven looked at him, but seeing Draco's embarrassed face, decided to return back to work.

"You see…" the blond said, "Well… it is hard living without magic… hell, I don't understand a thing about muggles and their devices are really ridiculous…" Draco continued, "The way they live is ridiculous too and really… their food tastes funny…

"But…" Draco stopped for a moment. "I think one day… I'll find all of this extremely normal…

"And that is what scares me the most…"

Harry stopped for a moment what he was doing but before he could say anything Draco continued:

"I always…" Draco sighed. "It's hard to live as a muggle when they always taught you that they are inferior creatures…" he said. "Imagine being one…. It's totally humiliating…"

Harry was angry at what Draco was saying. He knew muggles. His mother had been one before she received the letter. How could Draco say such things…! He…

"That's what I thought before coming here…" Draco said. "Now… I'm only embarrassed in what my parents would say if they knew. It would make my whole life here more difficult…"

Harry put the cups he had taken from the shelves down. He was speechless…

"That's why…" Harry started: "Is that why you don't want your parents to know?"

Silence was his answer but Harry knew that that was a clear yes.

"They probably know, anyway…" Harry continued. He remembered Hermione saying that many ex-Death Eaters had gone under the same punishment as Draco. It was impossible for the Malfoys not to know, really…

But then why hadn't they talked to Draco yet?

"Maybe…" Draco's voice seemed sad, almost distant. And Harry felt his heart drop. He shouldn't have said what he had.

"I'm sorry…" Harry whispered.

"Idiot…"

"You know…" Draco suddenly continued. "That's maybe why I called you in the first place…" he said. "You are the only one who could understand me and stir in me some kind of emotion… I forget the situation I'm in with you around…"

"And here I thought you hated me…" Harry said and put the two cups of steaming cocoa before them. Draco took his cup without a thank you.

"I _do_ hate you…" Draco said. "Really…"

"Who would have guessed?!" Harry exclaimed. He thought he saw Draco smile. "But… really…" Harry looked at Draco seriously. "Why?"

It was a question that had plagued him sometimes at Hogwarts. Why Draco hated him so much? Harry hadn't really done him anything… it was as if… it was destined for them things not to go well. But then Harry had started hating him with as much passion…

Draco looked at him…

"You didn't shake my hand…"

"Apart from that…" Harry said. "You know that insulting my first real friend really didn't help you…"

"I wanted to be your friend too…" Draco said. Harry looked at him. Draco suddenly blushed. "I was stupid back then… but… I thought…"

"You just wanted me for my fame…" Harry bluntly said.

"Potter…" Draco looked at him, serious. Harry stared back at him. "I am already famous… I'm a Malfoy… everyone knew and knows who I am. If you think I wanted you for money you are wrong again, because, really, I'm as much as rich, and maybe more, than you! The attention? I had enough attention even with you being the stupid boy-who-lived, running around saving the world!"

"So why?" Harry asked harshly. "Why you were a complete jerk and still are when…"

"I wanted to be your friend because I thought that maybe you would understand how it felt to have your path already decided!" Draco exclaimed. "But then you seemed so at easy doing the hero that I thought that you really liked it! That you wanted it! You were so stuck up that I couldn't take you anymore!"

"Your 'first real friend' was a _Weasley_! Weasley probably talked to you in the first place because you were famous and rich! He followed you around like a love-sick puppy and I thought you really liked having all that attention and… and…"

"Stop insulting Ron…" Harry said, strangely calm. Everything Draco said hit a nerve… but somehow… somehow… "Maybe you are right… maybe he first talked to me because I was famous but then we become friends, _best friends_, and that is more important than everything…

"But you are wrong…" Harry continued. "I never liked the attention… I never wanted to be who I was… Frankly, I was kind of jealous of you because you had parents…

"And maybe we could have been friends if you hadn't been such a jerk to me and my friends…"

Draco looked at him and closed his eyes for a moment.

"But… I can't say I hate you…" Harry suddenly said. Draco's heart skipped a beat. "No… not now…"

'Not after everything you said…' Harry thought. He recognized in Draco a person wanting nothing more than being loved. For who he was. Not who he had to be.

And recognized himself in that too.

They were the same in the end…

If the Hat had in the end sorted him into Slytherin? Surely Draco would have been his best friend now…

Wasn't that scary?

Oh, what a strange night…

"I…" Draco suddenly said. "Okay, maybe I don't hate you either…

"You saved my life after all…." Draco said. Harry looked at him. "And I'm really… grateful for that…"

Strange, indeed…

Harry watched as Draco leaned on the table, closing a little his eyes. Harry sipped his last drop of chocolate.

Harry watched Draco sleep for a while. What a strange night…

Green eyes scanned Draco's pale face as golden locks sat almost casually on the other's forehead. Rosy lips. Soft breathing…

'No, I don't hate you…' Harry thought, standing up and putting the two used cups in the sink. 'But…'

'Really… what I feel for you?'

And then there was just silence.


	9. A new job

Draco felt something warm caress his face and slowly he opened his eyes to see what it was. He scanned the kitchen around him and the opened window that let the sun in. For a moment he didn't understand why was he sleeping in the kitchen and not into his beautiful, cozy bed in his wonderful room up on the third floor...

'Oh, yeah… I'm not home…' Draco suddenly thought. His neck and back ached and he straightened himself, feeling his bones crack slightly from the movement. Snippets of his conversation with Harry in the middle of the night came back to him and felt his guts tightened at the realization of what he let slip.

'By the way…' he thought, trying to forget that awkward feeling that had risen in his chest, 'Where is he?'.

Draco's eyes fell on the two, washed, cups on the counter and as if on cue he felt someone enter from the door behind him.

"Good morning…" Harry said and Draco turned abruptly to him. Draco felt suddenly relieved that Harry hadn't left him yet and stared, his lips slightly parted, as Harry moved around the kitchen, obviously searching for something.

Harry was already fully dressed and Draco felt ridiculous in his pajamas, sitting open-mouthed at his supposed rival. Harry glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. Draco immediately felt his face flush.

"You're not a morning person, are you?" Harry said, chuckling a little. Draco rapidly looked away.

"Shut up!" Draco exclaimed and Harry laughed. "What are you searching for, anyway?"

Harry stopped laughing and looked at Draco. He didn't speak immediately and his eyes were hazed, looking at Draco, with something the blond couldn't really put his finger on. Draco felt those green eyes burn him, not in a bad way, really… when suddenly Harry talked again:

"A coffee machine…" his voice was rather raspy. Harry coughed. "Yeah…"

Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Coffee?" he asked, curious. "What's that?"

"Eh?? You don't know what coffee is?" Harry was clearly taken aback. He was sure that wizards knew what coffee was but then he suddenly remembered that he never saw anyone drink that brown stuff the mornings he had spent in Hogwarts. Not even the teachers…

"No, genius…" Draco said, "Do you really think I like to just question you for things I already know?"

"That means you don't have a coffee machine…" Harry stated.

"No, Mrs. Dunham told me I have one of those somewhere here…" Draco said. Harry's eyes glinted with joy.

"Really?"

"No, I just wanted to see your reaction…" Draco said.

"Now you're kidding…" Harry said, "That's one of your sarcastic answers…"

"No, kidding…" Draco rolled his eyes to the sky.

"You did it again!"

"Oh, really?"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?" Draco asked and Harry suddenly laughed. Draco watched him and for a moment the sensation that he wanted to have such stupid conversations with Harry every morning appeared somewhere deep in his heart. He liked the feeling… he really liked… having Harry… with him…

'Idiot…' Draco slapped himself, 'That was the stupidest thing I ever heard…'

Harry's laughter slowly calmed down and he looked at Draco again, clearly amused.

"You never change…"

"Why should I?" Draco exclaimed.

"You are amazing…" Harry whispered and Draco felt his heart sped up. Harry coughed again, regaining composure. Draco felt his cheeks burn. "Well, knowing you, you don't have a clue what a coffee machine looks like and you just try to mess with my mind making me think that you really have one of those in here…"

Draco couldn't speak. He was still trying to make his heart beat so fast.

"So no coffee today…" Harry was still smiling, "That's bad…"

Suddenly the door bell rang.

Harry looked at Draco. Draco's eyes widened.

"Are you expecting someone?" Harry asked. Draco stood up and grabbed Harry's shirt.

"Don't open the door!" he exclaimed. "It's the old ghoul!"

"Who?"

"The old ghoul!" Draco was in panic. "She's crazy! Now! I will go upstairs and change! Don't open the door! And then you are going to take me somewhere! Anywhere! As long as it is FAR away from that crazy woman I'll be safe!" and with that he ran upstairs. "DON'T OPEN THE DOOR! I'll castrate you if you do!!"

Harry wanted to laugh, but deep down, he knew Draco would do it if he even dared. For a moment he looked again outside the window and watched as Mrs. Dunham patiently waited in front of the door, purse in hand. He wondered what was so terrifying about her when he suddenly remembered Draco talking about his day with said old ghoul over dinner.

Just then Draco ran down the stairs and Harry stared at him, amazed at how elegant and beautiful the blond was. Harry wanted to smack himself. He knew something wasn't right with those thoughts! Ginny was beautiful! Not Draco! Not him! Not him!

Suddenly he felt a hand taking him by the arm and Harry couldn't stop thinking at how a simple touch could send shivers down his spine. Why? Why? Why?

"Let's go! Immediately!" Draco exclaimed and Harry couldn't do but nod as Draco practically dragged him to the front door. Draco glanced at Harry. Harry nodded again and opened the door.

Mrs. Dunham widely smiled at Draco and then glanced a little surprised at Harry.

"Mr. Potter?"

"Oh, Mrs. Dunham! I did not expect to see you here!" Draco exclaimed, dragging Harry out and instantaneously closed the door. "Oh, I would really like talking to you over… what do you call it?" Draco punched Harry awake.

"Coffee?"

"Yes, over a cup of coffee!" Draco continued smiling, "But you see we are such in a hurry! It's really impolite from my part but…" Draco talked and talked and talked to a very shocked Mrs. Dunham, who stared at Harry with something akin to realization in her eyes. "We really must go, right Harry?"

"Oh, em… yeah…"

"BYE!!" Draco exclaimed and started to run away, pulling Harry with him.

"Oh…" Mrs. Dunham said and blinked at them quickly disappearing from sight. "I must be wrong but…" she whispered. "But those two seem…"

Mrs. Dunham slowly smiled as another thought hit her.

"Stupid, naïve Draco…" she said then. "You got me this time…" and slowly, thinking of new ways to train young Malfoy to his new life, she returned home.

---

"She is not following us, right?" Draco whispered, still clutching Harry's arm, a little panicky. Harry sighed.

"No, and it's the fiftieth time you asked…" Harry said. Draco snorted.

"You never know…" he said then but let Harry's arm go. Harry sighed and stroked his sore limb. They continued walking quietly side by side.

"Were exactly are we going?" Draco suddenly asked and Harry shot him an annoyed look.

"How the hell should I know? You hauled me out of the house in the first place!" Harry exclaimed. Draco turned abruptly to him.

"So now it's my fault!?" Draco crossed his arms over his chest. "Idiot!"

"You are the idiot! Who is his right mind would be afraid of such an old lady! She even seems so kind!" Harry continued.

"Kind?" Draco stopped in his tracks. "_Kind_? Are you out of your fucking mind!?"

"Just because she made you clean, doesn't mean…"

"That's the point, Harry!" Draco exclaimed. "She made _me _clean!"

"Oh, stop being a baby, Draco…" Harry said. Draco snorted and looked away. Harry sighed. Again. "Come on…"

"I'm not talking to you…" Draco spat. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, okay…" Harry said and continued walking. "Let's just go to some coffee place or whatever… I need it…"

Draco shot him a murderous look but followed him anyway. Harry rolled his eyes to the sky again.

"You are such a girl…" Harry sighed. Draco kicked him in the shin. "Ouch!" and turned to look at Draco.

"So, are we going to that coffee thing or what?" and Draco with his most angelic face continued on. Harry stared at him open mouthed.

"You don't even know the way!" Harry exclaimed.

"Malfoys have perfect sense of direction!" Draco said. "Even when they never been to…"

"Yeah, right!" Harry cut him. Draco shot him a look.

"You don't believe me?"

"Hahaha!"

"Stop laughing!"

And they continued bickering the whole way.

---

"Muggle London doesn't cease to amaze me…" Draco suddenly said, observing the new for him world around him. Harry glanced at him as Draco watched fascinated some black cars passing by. "Do they really move on their own?", referring to said cars.

"No…" Harry said. "They need someone to drive them…"

"Drive, huh?" Draco said. "They seem very handy for when you want to travel to distant places…" he continued. Harry continued gazing at Draco, strangely captured by the way those blond locks fell a little on his eyes. "…it?" Draco continued talking.

"What?" Harry hadn't been listening and was taken aback when Draco had turned abruptly to him, catching him staring.

"Stupid Potter…" Draco said. "I said, it would be nice if I drove one of those, wouldn't it?"

"What?" Harry screeched. "You want to learn how to drive?"

"Why? Why not?" Draco said. "It would be better than travelling with that stupid tube or whatever it's called! At least this car it's all yours, no? No one bothers you and touch you in unwanted places!"

"It's… it's difficult to drive a car, Draco…" Harry said, imagining the slaughters Draco could cause if he even attempt to drive. The blond boy didn't even know the laws (written or not) that existed in the muggle world, like if an old lady cuts your way, don't just run over her. Not that that happened in the wizard world…

In reality, Harry was afraid of the Malfoy's laws, which, he was sure, said: if an old lady cuts your way, don't listen to her pleads of forgiveness…

Draco opened his mouth to say something in retort when suddenly a crashing sound made them halt. They both looked at the broken plate before them, having seemingly flown from a coffee place two steps ahead of them. Then, as unexpectedly, another plate came flying by.

"You bloody idiot!" someone, a man, started to scream from inside the place. "I'M SO GONNA KILL YOU!"

A man exited from the coffee place in panic. His eyes were wide with terror and by dint of getting safely away, slipped and fell face forward on the pavement. Then another man exited more calmly the place. He was tall and his really sparkly dyed blond hair could catch even a blind man's eye. The definitely wasn't gorgeous but he wasn't so bad looking either. His black eyes looked down with wrath at the more than just frightened man below him.

He brandished the broom in his hand like a sword.

"How many times…" the man whispered, spitting pure hatred, "…not to…" he raised his 'weapon', "…STEAL MY MONEY!!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" the other man started to supplicate, "Give me another chance! Please! I won't do it again!"

"I gave you enough chances to stop gambling! Like hell I'm going to believe you now! Be a MAN and take your responsibilities!" the dyed blond man shouted and made to break the broom onto the other man's head.

"Wait!" Harry screamed, stopping the man in his tracks.

"No! Now it was the best part!" Draco shouted. The dyed blond man stopped in his tracks and looked annoyed at the two other men watching the scene.

"What do YOU want, now?" the man said against gritted teeth. The 'victim' caught the opportunity and quickly as he could stood up and started running. "Oh, man! You let him go!" the blond on shouted, disappointed. "DON'T YOU WORRY!" he shouted after the running man, "IF I EVER SEE YOU AGAIN, I PROMISE YOU IT WILL BE THE LAST!"

"Please, calm down, mister…" Harry said and approached the other man.

"And you!" the dyed blond said, pointing the broom against Harry's chest. "That wasn't your damned business! You let that stupid man go away! He stole me!"

"I…" Harry's eye twitched.

"Oh, don't worry…" Draco entered the conversation with a smile. "He just likes to play the hero!"

The dyed blond man snorted and slowly put the broom down. He _tsk_-ed again and searched his chest pocket. Harry and Draco watched him as the other pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lighted one.

"The bastard…" the man said, raising the cigarette to his lips. "Oh, man what I'm going to do…" he whispered, turning his back to Harry and Draco. "Now I need a cashier and Marie can't do all the work…"

"You need a cashier?" Harry asked making the other man turn around to him.

"Don't you ever disturb me when I smoke!" the man shouted and pointed the cigarette to Harry, "And really I don't want you! You seem too smart and could try to steal me!"

"Huh?" Harry was annoyed. The dyed blond eye's just then turned to Draco.

"But you!" the blond said suddenly grinning at Draco. "You could so do the job!"

"Huh?" now it was Draco's turn to be annoyed. "You think I'm dumb?"

"Exactly, my friend!" the blond said and put his hands on Draco's shoulders. "Starting tomorrow you'll work here from 10:00 to 12:00 and then from four to six! I pay well if I don't see you with your hands full with my money!"

Draco started at the other, utterly annoyed.

"Sir, I…" he tried.

"Deal! Call me Josh, by the way!" the taller man said, grinning. "Now! To tell you how much I like you I'll offer you a cup of coffee!"

"Coffee! Finally!" Harry exclaimed. Josh shot him a look.

"Not you! I hate you!" he shouted.

"He can have my cup…" Draco said.


	10. Nothing

Draco had known from the start that waking up that morning wasn't a good idea. No, wait. Taking Harry's advice to do take the job wasn't a _good _idea. Why, for Merlin's sake, did he, Draco Malfoy, listened to that stupid, egoistic, full of himself, damned handsome, Harry Potter? He must have lost it. Totally. Without any doubt.

Draco stared at all the muggle devices in front of him. Then at the ingredients he should be using. He looked at Josh, who looked back at him in expectation. Draco gulped and with what he would describe as a steady looking hand, because Malfoys don't shudder, no no no… he made to get hold of some dark beans Josh called his most precious espresso coffee beans. Josh eyes widened and his lips contracted into a smile. Draco sighed. He did it right. Draco then put the beans into the closest to him cup and without thinking added milk into the cup. Josh stopped smiling and slapped Draco's hand away, taking the blond totally aback.

"What?" Draco shrieked and watched amazed but just a little bit terrorized at how Josh's vein just about his right eye twitched whenever he got really angry.

"It's been the thousand time that I've been telling you that THAT is not the right way to make a Macchiato!" Josh screamed.

"How the hell was I supposed to know!?" Draco screamed back. Josh stared.

"Are you _that _dumb?!"

"Stop insulting me!"

"So you know the big words too, now, buddy?" Josh exclaimed. It was Draco's vein time to twitch but before he could say anything Josh took the rest of the beans from Draco's hand and started to work. "Now watch, you pathetic excuse of a man!"

"You bastard!" Draco exclaimed.

"Shut up and watch!" and made to put the beans in a grinding machine but Josh felt Draco stop him. The dyed blond man shot Draco his most irritated look, but the other man did not flitch.

"I can't! Okay, Josh? I can't learn all the ways to make a cup of coffee! I don't even understand what's the difference between a Macchiato, an espresso, a mocha, or what the hell you call them, okay? I can't! I can't!"

Josh listened to Draco's ramblings and slowly put the beans back on the counter. The older man sighed loudly. Draco stared at him.

"You learned the names, though…" Josh said and sighed again. "Listen, Draco…" he continued. Draco blinked at the calm and soft way Josh talked. "I think that everyone can do anything, if they want to… maybe not in the best way, but good enough to do the job. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Draco just blinked and the snorted.

"You tried to train me as a waiter…" Draco said and he was sure Josh smiled.

"That was really a bad idea…" the older man said. "It's a pity a handsome man like you can't move around the place, shaking his ass in front of the girls, or the boys… oh, man, that would surely have attracted a lot of possible clients…" Josh said bluntly. Draco felt his face reddening. Well… he would have liked the attention, yeah… "But…" Josh continued as he searched through his pockets, "You almost broke all my beautiful glasses…" he said in the end, remembering Draco trying to balance the tray in his right hand, while, slaloming around. Josh didn't want to think about it.

"Well, I hate to serve, anyway…" Draco said.

"Yeah, I reckon you do…" Josh smiled at him and took out a cigarette. Draco felt himself smiling back. "So I'm not going to push you in that direction… but it's a pity… imagine all the possible clients… such a pity…" Josh said.

"So…?" Draco asked, deep down hoping Josh would fire him, so he could return to his peaceful muggle home, with his only fear being that old ghoul…

"So what?" Josh said and took a drag. "You are going to be the cashier…" he said, totally unconcerned about Draco's disappointed face. "Be sure not to give the wrong change…"

"But…!" Draco started. Josh shut him a look.

"But, what?!" Josh was starting to feel annoyed. Draco almost chocked down his own words. Draco wanted to say that he wasn't good managing muggle money, that he didn't understand a thing about pounds and cents! But suddenly he realized he couldn't do that…

He couldn't risk Josh to…

"Nothing…" Draco said, "I'll be the cashier…"

"Good!" Josh said and glanced at the cigarette in his fingers, before saying: "But you are going to learn how to make all those types of coffee too… Marie can't do all the job…"

"But I told you I can't do it!"

"And I told you you can!" Josh spat back, "Now! Watch me!" Josh said and took the beans back in his hands. "Today I'm going to show you everything! Take notes if you want but tomorrow I demand you to know all the recipes by heart! Got me?"

"No!" Draco whined. Josh slapped him on the nape of the neck. "Ouch!"

"Watch, I told you!"

"What the hell was that for!?" Draco exclaimed.

"It was to get your attention, stupid!"

Just then a little bell rang and both man looked at the door slowly opening. Then a young girl entered and smiled at them kindly. The girl seemed around her twenties and had long brown hair tied in a low ponytail.

"Oh…" she said with a kind voice, her chestnut eyes falling onto Draco immediately, "You must be the new cashier…".

Draco without understanding why started to blush as the girl approached him with slow steps.

"I…" he made to present himself.

"Marie!" but was rudely interrupted by Josh. Marie looked at Josh and smiled.

"Good morning… isn't a little too early for you to open the place?" she said. Josh laughed.

"Yeah, but I need time to show to this monkey how to use a coffee machine!"

"Oi!" Draco exclaimed. "Stop insulting me or…!"

"Or, what? Monkey?!" Josh exclaimed.

"I'm Marie…" the girl suddenly said and extended her hand to Draco. "I hope you'll have a fine time working with us!" she smiled. Draco took her hand, forgetting for a moment Josh.

"Draco Malfoy…"

"Do you want me to teach you how to make coffee?" the girl said.

"You mean I'm not a good teacher!" Josh exclaimed, "I'm hurt!"

"The hell you are a good teacher!" Draco exclaimed.

"What did you said, monkey?!"

"Enough, boys…" Marie said, shutting them both. Then she looked at Draco. "Should we start?"

---

Harry Potter started at Shackebolt's emotionless face. The older man flipped a page of the report he was reading then looked up at Harry.

"I heard you are helping Draco Malfoy…" he stated.

"Yes, he asked me too…"

Shackebolt was a little taken aback by the statement. "Really? I thought you were rivals…"

"We were, yeah…" Harry said and unconsciously avoided the other man's eyes.

"Well, I'm glad you accepted…" Shackebolt said, "It would help Malfoy immensely to have someone he knows helping him with his new life…"

Harry nodded, not really knowing why they were talking about Draco in the first place. He imagined that Hermione or even Ron let the fact slip to someone else and or directly to Shackebolt but he didn't think it was important enough to make the Minister want to talk to him about it in first person.

"But you know, Harry…" Shackebolt continued. Harry knew he was going to get his answers soon enough. "Helping Draco is taking time from your Auror duties…"

"I don't think that…" but Harry suddenly stopped, remembering the time he went to work late because Draco so wanted to know what a TV was.

"Exactly Harry…" Shackebolt said as if reading Harry's mind. "I don't want you to go back to the promise made but I want you to stop visiting Draco as soon as he learns all the basics about muggles…"

Harry's heart skipped a beat. Something wasn't right. Something wasn't absolutely right!

"I… I understand…"

Don't panic, Harry… Draco still needs your help… he… he…

Shackebolt smiled.

"I'm glad…"

Don't panic, Harry… why is your heart beating so fast? Stop visiting Malfoy as soon as he learns all the basics? Easy. He lived without him before. He even hated his guts. Easy.

"You are dismissed… please return to work…"

"See you later, sir…" Harry stood up and glanced back at Shackebolt for a last time before closing the door behind him.

Harry knew that as soon as Draco knew how to live in the muggle's world he was going to leave him alone. Harry was prepared to that. Harry was going to return to his normal life as soon as Draco was ready. It will be easy after so many years of hating to forget the other man…

Then why?

Then why he felt as if he was lying to himself?

---

Ginny stopped reading her magazine the moment she heard the front door of hers and Harry's apartment open and immediately stood up to greet her boyfriend. Harry felt soft arms encircle his body and quite cold lips kiss his own, welcoming him back.

"I missed you!" Ginny exclaimed and hugged Harry tightly to her. Harry looked down at red hair and long eyelashes. He smiled a little, his heart beating furiously against his chest.

"I… I missed you too, Ginny…" he whispered and slowly hugged Ginny back.

"Did you really had to stay with Malfoy yesterday night?" Ginny said, looking up at Harry's face. Harry smiled at her and doing so he felt guilty for lying to her too.

"I already told you…" he said and felt a little cold as Ginny's arms let him go.

"I know… I just don't like it how you spend so much more time with him than with me…" the redheaded said, crossing her arms against her. Harry nodded and took his robes off.

"It is as if he is more important than me…" Ginny continued.

"You know that that's not true, Ginny…" he said and sat down on the couch, suddenly exhausted. Ginny stared at him for a moment or two before sitting beside him. "You are…" Harry took Ginny's hand. Cold against his own. "… you are…"

_Liar_… something in his mind said. Liar…

Ginny smiled and kissed him again, more passionately this time. Harry kissed back and put his hand trough his girlfriend's red hair.

_Liar_…

"I feel quite jealous…" Ginny suddenly said making Harry open his eyes.

"Why?" he asked surprised. Ginny smiled again, but this time her smile seemed uncertain.

"It's because that from the day you are meeting with Malfoy you seem… happier whenever you come back home…"

"That's ridiculous…" Harry suddenly laughed. "How could I be? He drives me insane every morning! I somewhat wish I never promised him my help!"

"Yes, you are right…" Ginny said, laughing too. "That sounded ridiculous, didn't it?" and laughed again. "Well… I was making me a cup of tea, want some?"

Harry watched her go to their kitchen.

"Yeah, thank you…" he said.

He felt his heart ache.

_Liar_…

There was something not right in the picture.

Listen to Ginny's talking. Kissing her. Being hugged by her. Her face. Her hands. Her eyes.

He didn't feel anything, anymore.

He felt nothing when kissing her.

He felt nothing when feeling her face against his thumbs.

Where was the passion he once had for her? Where was the crazy way his heart would beat when looking at her? Kissing her? Just knowing her near?

He felt nothing.

_Nothing._

Was he going insane? Was he?


	11. Visitors

It had been a week now since Draco Malfoy, ex-Slytherin Prince, had started working (although against his will) for Josh and Marie. Draco had to admit, though, that the coffee place wasn't so bad a working place as he had first imagined.

Josh could be arrogant, blunt and easily angered, but he could be a funny guy (if he wanted to). Marie, on the other, was the exact opposite. She was the picture of kindness. She never raised her voice, she never once called Draco a monkey (as _other_ ignorant people liked to call him. Oh, the next time that bastard called him that, Draco would…), and she always was there to help him. It was, in fact, thanks to her that, in about two days, Draco managed to learn all the different ways to make a cup of coffee perfectly.

Josh too had been proud of him when Draco succeeded in preparing an Espresso without messing up his precious coffee machines and had offered him a cigarette, which Draco not so kindly declined ("They stink"). It was then, however, Draco knew that Josh never offered a cigarette and only did that when the other man was a hundred percent sure the other would refuse. So, Draco now knew why Josh had smiled so greatly at him and not crashed a table on his head because Draco had dared to say no to something he, the mighty Josh, offered. Because, Draco knew, that Josh could do it, if he wanted to.

Draco had shown Harry too how to make a cup of coffee. The blond had tried his best and he proudly presented his Macchiato at the raven. Harry had blinked at the cup, much to Draco's dissatisfaction, and had straightforwardly asked if:

"Is this poisoned?"

"Just drink it, bastard…"

Harry did. And he was still alive. Then had said:

"I'm proud of you…"

Draco had just stared open mouthed at him for a minute or two, gaping at the sincere smile on Harry's face, feeling his face slowly going on fire, before thanking him for the comment.

In a week Draco had improved in his housework too. Despite his attempts to avoid (to put it in a nicer way) Mrs. Dunham, the old gho… lady was a really genius in entering Draco's house without him realizing it. Draco would stare at her shocked every time she did so but she would immediately proceed in teaching Draco the basic every human being should learn when living alone, spoiling him the fun in throwing the old woman out of his house with his two hands.

The old woman had tried to teach him how to sew.

"What if a button of yours shirt comes off?" she had said.

"I would buy a new shirt…" Draco had answered. "Face it, woman, sewing its stupid…"

She had proceeded to teach him nonetheless.

She then thought that teaching Draco how to take care of his own garden was a good idea.

She thought that showing him how to use a lawn-mower was a good idea. Well, she thought…

"STOP THIS DIABOLIC THING IMMEDIATELY!"

"Oh, Draco, not like that!" Mrs. Dunham had shouted when things had gone a little (a little, mind you) out of hand. "No! That's not your garden!"

"WATCH OUT!"

"Hey, blondie! What do you think you are doing!! Stop! Stop! STOP!"

Mrs. Dunham had to repay the garden of most of Draco's neighbors.

But, on the other, Mrs. Dunham had to say that Draco was really improving. He didn't set fire to his own food anymore when cooking. He could use the vacuum cleaner without being about to kill his own pet and he had finally understood how to make his bed!

Yeah, Mrs. Dunham thought. Soon enough Draco won't need her help anymore… and had told once Harry, Draco's friend she supposed, too.

The raven had stared at her for a moment and Mrs. Dunham couldn't quite understand why he seemed so unhappy for a moment. Then Harry had smiled and said: "Well, that's good to know, huh?"

"Yeah, it is…" Mrs. Dunham had said.

Harry just smiled.

But it was forced.

----

Harry Potter stood in front of a very much upset Draco Malfoy, with a frown on his face. His green eyes, usually happy when seeing the blond (even if he still didn't want to admit it) were now looking down at Draco, coldly, trying not to betray any emotion. Harry knew from experience that trying to say 'no' to Draco was a very, very difficult task. The other man was spoiled, stubborn and, worse of all, so cute when he pouted. No one could resist but Harry wanted, aspirated to be the exception to the rule.

"No and that's final."

"But!" Draco exclaimed. Harry stared coldly back at the other man.

"I said no!"

"You are so mean! You don't care about me at all! I've been working with the most awful man on earth for a week now! Don't I deserve some happiness? Don't you want me to be happy? You always were jealous of me! That's why you don't want me to do something that may relax me!"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"I don't understand how _driving a car_ could make you happy?!" Harry exclaimed, crossing his arms against his chest. "The things you are saying are so…"

"True?" Draco butted in. "How do you know that driving will make me sad?"

"I never said it would make _you_ sad!" Harry exclaimed. "It would make others sad! Horribly so!"

"That's stupid!"

"Trust me! I know!" Harry continued. "And maybe it would relax _you _but not the ones around you! Especially me!"

Draco stared at him and Harry just stared back at him with the same passion in his eyes. Neither of them was going to back down.

Then the silence was suddenly broken but Draco's smirk.

"I'm going to drive one day and you know it…"

"I said no…" Harry said, but his voice was strangely uncertain. Draco just tsk-ed at him and smirked again.

"Whatever…"

"Just…" Harry wanted to scream, wanted to slap that smirk away from Draco's face. "Just… put on your coat or you are going to be late to work… again…"

"I'm never late…" Draco exclaimed. Harry sighed and massaged his temples.

"As you say… you are just… fashionably late…"

"Right to the point…" and as soon as he said that made to take his coat.

This would have been a really normal conversation, considering their relationship, and it would have been just another day, immediately going to be forgotten as soon as they both stepped outside Draco's house.

Surely, they would take again the tube. Without any trace of doubt, Harry would complain at Draco that he should always make it in time at his new work. Draco would just insult back at him. Harry then would leave the blond in front of the coffee place and would tell him he was going to pick him when his turn finished. Draco would say "Yes, whatever…" and would prepare himself to meet Josh.

It started as a normal day and it seemed it was going to continue as such if it wasn't for the fact that, as soon as their "conversation" was over, the door bell rang.

If only Draco knew that that simple fact could change his life, he maybe would have never opened the door…

"I hope it's not Mrs. Dunham…" said Draco, watching the door, warily. Harry looked at him amused and said:

"Want me to open the door?"

Draco immediately put the coat on, suddenly in a hurry. "Ask who it is first… no! Look from the kitchen window!"

"Okay, as you wish…" Harry said and entered the kitchen. Draco watched his every move.

"So? Who it is?"

Draco raised an eyebrow as Harry seemed to be paralyzed in front of the kitchen window, his mouth slightly agape. Draco now started to feel worried and slowly approached Harry.

"Well?"

At the sound of Draco's voice Harry seemed to regain consciousness. Harry turned around to him and put a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"I should go… open the door, it's for you…" Harry said and made to exit the kitchen. Draco's head was spinning with questions as the doorbell rang again. The blond grabbed Harry's arm.

"Where are you going? Stay here!" and quickly made his way to the door. "Whoever it is I don't see why you should leave…"

"I really should…" Harry started again but Draco didn't pay any attention to him and annoyed opened the door.

Draco couldn't believe his eyes.

"Father…?" Draco's eyes opened wide as he stared at his father waiting patiently before his door. Then another figure appeared behind Lucius Malfoy. "M- mother?"

"Oh, Draco dear! I'm so glad to see you!"

Draco was shocked as a pair of soft arms encircled his body. The delicate perfume his mother always wore since he was a baby filled his nostrils.

"Narcissa, let the boy breath…" Lucius' stern voice said and Draco was suddenly free again. Draco watched, still unable to talk, as his parents entered his muggle house.

"Why… how…" Draco mechanically closed the door behind him and continued staring as his parents checked every corner of his small (in comparison with their mansion) living room. He then remembered Harry and suddenly he noticed that the raven was nowhere to be seen. He had left and at that thought Draco felt his heart sink.

Draco watched as Narcissa touched the television set with a disgusted look on her face before approaching him with elegant steps.

"I'm sorry you have to endure this, Draco…" she said and hugged him again. "Are you okay? Is everything fine?"

"I'm okay, mother…" Draco said, trying to get out of her embrace.

"Do you clean the place on your own or someone else does it for you?" Lucius said, looking around.

"I do it…" Draco said. "It's sucks not to have a house elf…"

"I reckon it does…" Lucius said, turning around to him. Draco noticed the disappointment in his father's face that his son had to do something as vulgar as cleaning.

"Oh, baby…" Narcissa caressed her son's face. "But I'm happy you seem so healthy!"

"Well… without Harry's help I wouldn't be, trust me…" Draco said.

"Harry? Harry Potter?" Lucius stared at him. Draco felt his face flush.

"Yes, he…" Draco wanted to disappear under Lucius' gaze. "He is helping me adapt to this kind of life…"

Narcissa and Lucius shared a glance then they both looked at Draco. Narcissa even smiled a little.

"Oh, well…" the blond woman said. "It was kind of him but you are not going to need his help in a near future…"

Draco raised his eyebrow. "I don't understand?"

"I'm trying everything to persuade them to forget your punishment and let you come home or at least cut it by half, Draco…" his father explained, smiling a little. "If everything goes as planned you should return home in no time…"

Draco hearing this smiled widely.

"Really?" Draco exclaimed. "You could do that?"

"Of course…" Lucius said as a matter of fact. "I'm working on it for a week now. They are stubborn, though, so it could take some months to make them agree…"

"It's fantastic!" Draco exclaimed. Narcissa smiled and said:

"It took us two weeks to persuade Shacklebolt to give us your new address, that's why it took us so long to come…"

Draco looked at his mother and nodded.

"I see…"

"Moreover, we changed some of our fortune in muggle money…" Narcissa said and took her wand out. "So you want need to work –if you are- to earn it… until we get you back home it should be enough…" and with a flick of her wand, three bags full of money appeared on Draco's couch.

"Oh, father… mother… thanks…" Draco was shocked but suddenly he also felt bad. Draco suddenly felt trapped again. Since he moved to his now, muggle, life he had felt strangely free…

In the wizarding world he always had to support on his parents, willing or not. The fact that his parents gave him money gave them reason to do with Draco whatever they wanted. It had always been like that. In that way he wasn't independent.

For example, if he wanted to buy a house… because the money he was going to spend was of his parents, they had a say in which house should he buy, even if in the end Draco didn't like it.

He didn't want that… _Harry_… again…

Why was he thinking of Harry? Harry? Of all people?

"I can't accept the money, thought…" Draco was surprised of his own words and so were his parents.

"You don't want it?" Lucius' always calm face was contorted in shock. "Are you sure, Draco?"

"I…" Draco opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. He looked at the money. It tempted him.

Harry would have encouraged him not to take it…

Harry. Harry. Harry. Why did you leave?

It was with difficulty that he pronounced his next words: "No, I can't accept…"

Narcissa looked at Lucius.

"Moreover, I think that… I should earn it… I can't…"

"As you wish, Draco…" Lucius was highly disappointed as he flicked his wand. The money disappeared. Draco felt like an idiot. "You know that whenever you will need it, we will be glad to lend it to you…"

"Thanks, father…" Draco felt his face flush. He felt so weak.

Narcissa smiled suddenly again. "Well, the money is not the big deal…" she said, "We have good news for you!"

Draco was taken aback.

"What?"

It was Lucius who talked, straight to the point.

"As soon as you return to the wizarding world…" he said. "…you are going to be engaged to Astoria Greengrass…"

Draco's heart stopped beating.

"What?"

"We found you a fiancée!" Narcissa seemed pleased with the news. "She is the perfect girl for you and most of all she is pureblooded!"

"Astoria seemed happy with the news too…" Lucius continued. "And if I remember correctly you two seemed to get really well with each other when you were at Hogwarts…"

"Yes!" Draco suddenly said. "I remember her, she was nice, but!"

"Then it's settled!" Lucius said with a smile. "Narcissa, leave the boy… we must go…"

"Yes, darling…" Narcissa said and kissed Draco on the forehead. "Stay well, okay?"

Draco was shocked.

"I…"

"We'll contact each other by owl, don't worry…" Lucius said.

"I…"

"Bye, son…" he said.

"I…"

And they both disappeared with a loud 'pop'.

**AN. I don't really like this chapter. It must be full of errors I couldn't pick up… well, it's time I have to ask you something! I have a ****poll**** going on regarding this story and it's very important you answer. I must decide if Wake up Call is going to be epilogue compliant or not… so what do you say? Thank you for sticking with me so far, by the way! ^^**


	12. Motorthing

"Why did you leave yesterday?" Draco tried to say with a small, forced, smile on his face as he and Harry walked together to Josh's coffee place. Harry looked at Draco and then back at the street before them, putting his hands in his pockets, as if he was cold.

"I thought you would have liked to talk with your parents in private…" Harry said after a second of silence. Draco tried to smile again:

"How kind of you…"

Harry knew but Draco's tone of voice that something really wasn't right. Should he have stayed in the end at Draco's place the day before? He remembered Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and Harry really hadn't wanted to see them and listen to them thanking him a little too kindly for helping Draco out. At first Harry didn't even care about what the Malfoy family had to say to each other but looking at Draco now, the day after the family reunion, rang a bell inside him, alarming him. Something wasn't right.

"So…" Harry asked almost casually, "Why did they decide to pay you a visit after so long?".

Draco didn't look at him as he answered: "They said it took them a while for the Minister to let them know where I live now…"

"Oh…" Harry just said. It was obvious. No one should know where Draco (and all the other young ex-Death Eaters) lived, apart from one or two, in case a large group of wizard and witches paid a visit… Harry didn't want to think about the consequences.

"They said…" Draco suddenly continued, "They are trying to cut my punishment a little…"

Harry's head turned to Draco so quickly his neck hurt and for a moment he felt dizzy.

"Really?"

"Yes…" Draco said and smiled, genuinely this time. "But…" Draco's smile disappeared and Harry watched him as the blond boy stopped for a moment, obviously thinking if to tell it or not. "But as soon as I'm out of the muggle world, I'm going to be engaged…"

"What?" Harry stopped walking. He felt as someone had stabbed him in the heart and the world started spinning around. What? E-engaged? "Do you know this girl?" Harry asked then a little panicky. "Do you love her?"

Then, suddenly, Draco cracked down laughing.

"Love her? What kind of question is that?"

"Well, people do get married because they love each other…" Harry said a little taken aback. Draco laughed again.

"I don't love this girl, even if I don't understand why you care so much…" Draco said. "I hardly even remember her. We used to hang out with her family the summer holidays, because our parents knew each other…"

Harry blinked: "So it's an arranged marriage…"

"Yes, it is…" Draco said.

"You don't want to marry her…"

"I don't have any say in that…" Draco said, slowly stopping laughing. "It's settled… as soon as I'm out…"

"Draco…" Harry tried again as every word Draco's said stabbed him over and over again.

"Please…" Draco whispered, suddenly, "I don't want to talk about it…" and his face turned apathetic, but Harry could see sadness in Draco's silver eyes. That hurt even more than words.

They continued walking in silence, both deep in their own thoughts, when Harry suddenly said:

"It's possible that today I might not make it to pick you up after work…"

"Oh…" Draco whispered, his eyes avoiding Harry's ones, and grinned. "That's a good new!"

"I'm glad you see it that way…".

---

Draco closed his ears with his two index fingers and watched fascinated as Josh continued opening and closing his mouth, his eyes red with anger and the vein on his temple twitching maniacally. Draco was glad he couldn't hear whatever obscenities Josh was barking (a dog's bark, Draco noticed, was much gentler, though) at him. Marie watched them both a little worried from afar trying to reassure the clients that no, no one was going to die, so be calm and what do you like to drink?

"Are you listening to me, you stupid monkey?" Josh shouted and grabbed Draco's two arms, pulling them with force away from his ears. Draco stared at Josh:

"What?"

"You…" Josh's vein twitched, not a good sign. The dyed blond closed his eyes. "You…" he inhaled then exhaled. He opened his eyes a little calmer but at the sight of Draco he lost it again. "You DUMB MONKEY! What the hell's happening to you! First, I asked of you four cappuccinos and three espressos and what did you do? Six mochas and two lattes! ARE YOU DEAF?" Josh closed his eyes again. His hands were trembling, not a good sign. "But that wasn't the worst part… you… son of a…! The worst of all… I… I…" Josh inhaled. "YOU BASTARD YOU BROKE MY FAVORITE COFFEE MACHINE! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Draco 'eek'-ed as Josh literally threw himself upon the other man, his hands ready to struggle to death. Draco just hoped his death to be painless… but the white lights he had so many times heard about never came and Draco dared open his eyes a little to see.

Marie had come to the rescue and had put a hand on Josh's shoulder. Draco couldn't still comprehend how Marie's touch could calm so quickly the madman and he threw a glance full of gratefulness at the woman's way.

"Now, calm down, Josh, dear…" Marie said, smiling a little at them both. "I promised the clients no crime scene today…"

Josh looked at Marie then at Draco. He sighed. He closed his eyes then opened them again. He searched his pockets and shot a venomous look at the blond boy before him.

"Come outside…" Josh ordered. Draco's opened his eyes wide.

"No! Don't kill me! You are just trying to be witness-less!"

"Just come outside!" Josh growled and Draco couldn't do anything but follow his outside. Marie smiled at them and as soon as the front door closed behind them she started serving the clients again.

"Are you trying to kill me, Draco?" Josh stated as soon as they were out. The older man took out cigarette and started smoking.

"No…" Draco said a little taken aback.

"What's up with you?" Josh suddenly asked again. "There something bothering you. This job, even as dumb as you are, it fits you perfectly and you are doing well… why all of sudden you started messing around like a real monkey?" Josh's tone of voice wasn't caring at all, as if he was asking just because he wanted to.

Draco looked away.

"It's not your fucking business…"

Josh snickered.

"Oh, yes it is…" Josh watched fascinated the cig in his two fingers. "I could fire you…"

"Then do it!" Draco exclaimed.

"It's troublesome to go search for another employee, you know…" Josh almost smiled. "And moreover… I think I like you…"

"I'm not your type…" Draco exclaimed and Josh punched him on the head.

"Not like that, you idiot!" Josh sighed. "Well… are you going to tell me why you are so absentminded or not?"

Draco looked away a little angry. Josh remained in silence, quietly enjoying his smoke.

"Don't tell me it's because of that idiot?"

Draco knew that Josh was talking about Harry. _"It's possible that today I might not make it to pick you up after work…" _the raven had said that morning. Yeah, it did annoy him… a little… But Josh was an idiot too! How dare he make him remember that bastard!

"No!" Draco exclaimed hoping he sounded convincing enough and Josh snorted.

"Yeah, right…" he took a drag.

"I heard you are going to die if you smoke…" Draco suddenly said, trying to change the subject from anything Harry-related. Josh just smiled.

"I don't think someone is going to miss me…" he just said looking a little at Draco's shocked face. Draco was at loss and seeing as Josh continued smiling, regardless what he had just said, he stated:

"You are strange…"

"And you are dumb, now, spill it…" Josh was straight to the point. Draco remained in silence for five minutes before deciding to open his mouth again.

"I've been living alone only for two months now…" Draco started. Josh smiled even more.

"Yeah, it was kind of obvious…" Josh said, "It's like you are coming from another world…"

"Kinda…" Draco said, "Anyway… even if I didn't like at first, it was kind of… wonderful… not to have my parents on my head anymore. No one to tell me where to go, what to do, how to behave…" Draco stopped for a moment. "They are strict, well, my father is, and…" he stopped again.

"Yeah, I understand…" Josh said. "Continue…"

"For the first time in my life I was free to do what I wanted. To say what I wanted. To befriend whoever I wished…"

"Like that raven…" Josh said, almost whispered. Draco ignored him.

"Anyway, it's kind of embarrassing, but I almost wished not to see them again… maybe, without seeing them again, I could start a life anew…" Draco continued. "Yesterday, thought, they decided to come…" Draco could hear Lucius's words in head, loud and clear. "And they told me… that as soon as possible I was going to marry a girl they choose. I didn't have any say in it…" Draco sighed. "This is what basically it's bothering me today…"

Josh looked at him: "An arranged marriage, huh?" he exhaled the smoke, "Do you know this girl?"

"Yes and no…"

"Would you like to be married to her?"

"No…" Draco was sincere.

"Then why don't you tell so to your parents?" Josh said.

"It's not that simple…" how could Draco explain to Josh the rules among pureblooded families, inheritance and so on?

"I think it's simple enough…" Josh said. "Your problem, Draco, is that you continue listening to your parents like you should be grateful you have them. I'm not saying you should not listen to their good advice… I mean if you decide something for you, I think it's good to have a parent to tell you what he or she thinks, because they always think of your own good, but I'm getting out of topic, here… but… not really…

"The thing is… it's your life. They gave it to you and it's not theirs anymore. You are free to say no…."

"It's not that simple…" Draco continued.

"Marriage…" Josh said, "It something we decide… you will say no, if marrying this girl is not what you want…"

"I may end to like her…" Draco suddenly said.

"Oh, well… then you were lucky enough…" Josh finished his cigarette and stomped on it. He smiled at Draco then suddenly grabbed his arm and shouted: "Now back to work!".

"Stop it! You are hurting me!"

"Idiot!" and the door of the cafeteria closed behind them.

---

The hours passed and suddenly it was time for Draco to return home. The fact that he had to return to that silent house all by himself, though, didn't help me prepare himself for the long journey back.

He sighed and glanced at the clock on the wall behind him. Marie, who was washing the last cups, looked up at him, with a worried look on her face.

"It's something wrong, Draco?"

"It's all right…" he said then, feeling his pockets for his keys. "I think I'll go home…"

"Isn't that boy… Harry wasn't it? Coming today to pick you up?" Marie harmlessly asked but Draco felt as if stabbed with a knife.

"No…" he said, smiling a little. "He can't come today…"

"Oh…" a look of what seemed like understanding passed on her face. Even Josh, who was cleaning the tables, hearing his words, turned around to look at him. Draco thought that maybe it was something in the tone of his voice that made them all so worried… why would they look at him with those eyes? What the hell…

"Want a ride home, monkey?" Josh suddenly asked, taking Draco totally aback.

"What?" Draco stuttered. Marie chuckled.

"I said: do you, as Draco, the monkey, want a ride home? As in do you want me, as Josh, to take you to that place you sleep? Eat? Just lay around?" Josh asked again, slowly, as if speaking to one year (or worse) old. Draco felt his eye twitch.

"I'm not…"

"Heck, I'm sorry for asking!" Josh rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Marie smiled at them.

"I think that's a good idea!" she said. "Draco you should accept…"

Draco looked at her then back at the clock over his head. He should go home… but then again… he deeply hoped that Harry would change his mind and come pick him up. Oh, man! Since when he had hoped Harry –Harry?!- would show up? Never! Something was happening to him! This muggle world did something to his mind! He was going insane!

"Okay, whatever…" Draco said. Josh then took out some keys from his pocket.

"Troublesome… I kind of hoped you would have said no…" Josh sighed. Marie smiled a little as they crossed glances.

"You shouldn't have asked then!" Draco said. "I'm kind of lazy…"

"I noticed…" Josh rolled his eyes. "Well… should we go?"

Draco glanced again at the time. He had finished working half an hour ago… he should leave. He looked at Marie, who had started putting the plates and cups in their right place, and sighed.

"He is not going to come, Draco…" Josh said and put his coat on. "I have my motorbike parked just around the corner…" and with that he exited the place.

"Moto… _what_?" Draco whispered, befuddled, as he put his own coat on.

"See you tomorrow, Draco, dear!" Marie smiled. "And don't worry… he must have had something really important to do if he didn't pick you up today…"

Now Draco was more than simply confused.

"Er…" he said. "Oookay…" Draco raised his eyebrows. "See you tomorrow, Marie…"

"Bye! Bye!" she said and Draco closed the door behind him. And then there he found Josh, already waiting for him, on… on… what the heck was that? Josh was riding that… thing?... as if it was a horse… a very beautiful, red, _metallic_, horse… Draco stared at him opened mouthed. Wow…

"Come!" Josh ordered while the engine groaned. Draco stared at the… what was it again? Motosomething, yeah… then back at Josh. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me you are afraid?"

Draco shot him a poisonous look and then stepped up on the metallic horse. Josh sniggered while Draco put his arms around the dyed blond, doubtful.

"Have you ever rid a motorbike?" Josh asked, laughing, knowing fully well this answer. Draco pinched him and before Josh could retort told him his address.

"Take me home!" Draco said, while thinking about his old broom back at the mansion. Surely, brooms seemed a lot safer than this metallic thing. He clinched onto Josh as the other man started to move.

"As you wish!" Josh exclaimed. The engine roared and there they were! Running like idiots in the middle of the road. Draco's first instinct was to close his eyes a little from the air, feeling the wind run through his hair, while feeling Josh's coat under his cheek. He then looked around him and watched as they surpassed the cars and pedestrians at a high speed. Draco suddenly felt like smiling. He knew the feeling! He loved the feeling! It was like being back on his broom, searching the Snitch, on a one against one match…

"We are almost there, aren't we, monkey?"

Draco suddenly heard Josh shout at him and blinked away all the memories from his head. He looked around him, finally aware that they were slowing down. Draco was surprised to realize how much less time he made it home with the motorbike (he hoped he got it right this time) and suddenly he was furious with Harry for making him use the tube! And the bus! Or what the hell! Slow, stupid, and crowed pieces of junk! This, now, was _fantastic_! Who cared about a car, anymore? Draco wanted this metallic horse! Now, immediately!

"That's my house…" Draco said, suddenly, pointing to one of those look-alike homes in particular. With the corner of his eyes, Draco saw Mrs. Dunham who was taking care of her garden, standing up to peek at the motorbike coming her way. Josh stopped just in front of his door.

Draco slowly climbed down and Josh switched off the engine.

"I so need a…" Josh searched in his pockets, while still being seated on his bike. "Oh, damn! Where the hell!"

"Just stop smoking!" Draco exclaimed and opened the front door. Josh shot him his most murdering look.

"You took them!" the other man exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at a very shocked Draco.

"What? I would never put something as filthy as cigarette in my mouth!"

"Yeah, right…" Josh sneered. "Now! Give them back!"

"I don't have your *** cigarettes!" Draco said annoyed.

"You _do_ put filthy things in your mouth!" Josh said, faking shock. "You just said ***!"

"Like you are any better!"

Josh groaned as he searched his pockets again. "Damn!" he cursed. "Damndamndamn!"

Draco raised his eyebrows: "Just stop, really…"

Josh brushed him off. Draco sighed and then looked at a person coming their way. "Want to come inside? I do have to thank you for the ride…" Draco glanced at Josh, then at Mrs. Dunham. "Now?". She was coming!

"No…" Josh said.

She was…!

"Oh, just come in!" Draco exclaimed, grabbed a still irritated to hell Josh inside, and closed the door behind them before that old ghoul could open her mouth to say… well, Draco didn't want to know what she wanted, really…

Josh looked at Draco, The vein twitching madly.

"What the hell was that for!"

Draco shrugged and put his right ear on the door, waiting for Mrs. Dunham to leave.

Silence.

Silence.

"FOUND IT!"

Draco jumped in shock and turned around to Josh who was kissing a cigarette with passion. Josh seemed on cloud nine while he caressed the dangerous thing with his fingers and told it how much he missed it…

"You are crazy…" Draco said but Josh didn't hear. Suddenly he felt like laughing as a thought crossed his mind…

Well, not all muggles are bad…


	13. About owls and coming backs

Harry, the owl, watched curious as his owner walked back and forth, from the kitchen to the living room, and then back again, as he glanced at him, then at the clock, then at the door. The owl titled his head to the side as Draco looked at him once more before going back to the kitchen again. Minutes passed and Harry thought that this annoying game was over at last but then Draco was back into the living room. Harry peeped, irritated by all this silence, and _finally_ watched Harry straight in the… beak?

"Aren't you bored in this silent, old, house?" Draco suddenly asked the owl. Harry just blinked his big, yellow eyes, at him in response.

"I knew it…" Draco said and nodded to himself. "Okay…" he sighed, "I guess you are coming with me…"

Harry titled his head to the other side and peeped again. Draco just nodded and Harry deducted, because he was a very intelligent bird, that they were going out, together, Merlin knows were, to do Merlin knows what… Harry thought that if there was a big, juicy mouse waiting for him to wherever they were going, well… fine by him.

"Come, Harry!" Draco said then and put on his coat. The owl squeaked in reply and opened his brown wings to fly. Draco waited for him with the door open, and then, when Harry was out the house, the blond boy closed it behind them.

----

"Oh, man!" Josh exclaimed, broom in hand, glaring at a hole, down in the very corner of the wall. "Come out, you bastard! Be a MAN and fight me!" with that said, well, shrieked, Josh banged the broom hard on the wall. "Come out! COME OUT and show me what you got!"

"Josh…" Marie said, unruffled by the scene, as she washed the dishes. "That _mouse_ isn't going to come out just because you _challenged _him to…"

Josh crouched down on his knees and looked down into the hole, searching for his victim. He searched in the darkness of the hole. The mouse was watching him… Josh was sure he was laughing at him. Making fun of him…

"This mouse is no ordinary mouse, Marie…" Josh said, trying to see something, anything, in the darkness of the hole. "It's smart… it's… _ouch_!" Josh shot up, holding his nose with his two hands. "It bit me! The #$%^ BIT me!". Then, as if to make his point, he kicked the wall.

"Stop cursing, Josh! It's not proper!" Marie exclaimed and left the dishes to go check on the dyed blond man. "Let me see now…" she said, trying to remove his hands from his nose. "I hope the mouse doesn't have rabies…" she whispered as she checked Josh's nose.

"It has WHAT!" Josh screeched and jumped back from Marie. She just looked at him and then smiled.

"No, don't worry…" Marie then said, "I'm sure you are going to be okay… but…" her soft voice became colder. "In two hours the coffee place is going to open and if that mouse…."

"Okay, okay…" Josh said and sighed as he rubbed his sore nose. Just then the front door opened and Draco entered with his owl on his shoulder. Josh and Marie blinked at the unusual pet then shared a knowing glance.

"Good morning…" Draco said, taking his coat off. "Jeez… today everyone was so weird… they all wanted to take pictures of Ha—me…" Draco patted his owl on the head and then under Josh and Marie's confused face, owl on shoulder, went to put the coat away in the back room.

"I'm not the one talking to him today…" Josh said when Marie looked at him and grabbed his favorite weapon, the broom, back from the floor. Marie sighed, surrendering to the fact.

"Draco, dear…" she started when Draco showed his face again, owl now on his head.

"Yes, Marie?" he answered, his voice calm.

"Harry isn't coming today either, isn't he?" Marie asked straight to the point, a little afraid of the answer. Draco's right eye twitched, a sign Marie took as a bad sign.

"I don't care what he does…" Draco said, smiling at her a moment later. "Why do you ask?" he smiled diplomatically again.

"#%%$!" Josh just then cursed and crushed the broom hard on the floor. "You ^%#! I'll kill you! Your death is going to be slow and so very very painful! Damn you! Damn you!" Josh kicked the wall, very, very hard. "_OW_!"

"Josh, stop it!" Marie exclaimed. Josh cursed again and then looked intently at Draco.

"Why do we ask? Why do _we _ask?" Josh's eyes were out sockets. Draco just raised an eyebrow, composed. "Because, for the past week whenever that idiot tells you he isn't going to see you today you come up with something new and _absolutely_ ridiculous!" Josh exclaimed raising his arms to the ceiling. "Last week you were sure a monkey was following around the shop! Two days ago you were calling all day long a blanket _Fuffy_ and now!" Josh extended his arm to Draco's head, "You have an OWL on your head! Are you out of your mind!?" Josh massaged his temples and then searched into his pocket for his cigarettes.

"I'm not out of my mind…" Draco stated calmly. "Last week there really was a monkey following me around, but then it came up that it was just a toy a kid forgot here. Fuffy is not just a blanket! And this…" Draco pointed a finger at his head, "…is my pet!". The owl squeaked in agreement.

"You have an owl as a pet?" Marie asked, watching curious as the bird flied from Draco's head to the counter. "Josh, isn't that original?"

Josh groaned and put a cigarette in his mouth.

"I thought I told you when you came to my house last week, but I guess you were too engrossed in those lethal sticks you put in your as filthy mouth to pay attention to what I say…" Draco said, calm as ever. Josh groaned again and disappeared in the back room.

"And ANYWAY!" Draco raised his voice. "What does _Harry Potter_ have to do with any of this?!"

"Draco…" Marie said, "You just start to act really weird whenever Harry says he can't come to visit you…"

"I do not!" Draco said. "No, no, no…" and shook vigorously his head.

Josh came out again and shot a venomous look at the innocent owl, before making his way out of the place.

"Where are you going?" Marie asked. Josh looked at her.

"I'm going to buy poison for that rat!" Josh said and closed the door behind him.

"A rat?" Draco asked. Marie nodded.

"This morning we saw a mouse in our store but we still didn't manage to kill it…" Marie said disappointed.

"A mouse?" Draco raised his eyebrows. "That mouse?" he then pointed at his owl. Marie blinked at the dead mouse in Harry's beak and smiled.

"Yes, that one!" Marie sighed. "Thank you, Draco's owl…"

"His name is Harry…" Draco said but then put his hands on his mouth, shocked. Marie was more than just amused.

"Harry?" Marie smiled. Draco blushed and started to massage the back of his head.

"Oh, well… aren't you going to call Josh back? Well… since the poison isn't needed anymore…" Draco said, laughing nervously.

"It doesn't matter…" Marie said. "Josh needs some fresh air to calm down… I don't want him to snap at the customers…" she then moved to continue washing the dishes.

"Yeah… you are right…" Draco said. "What's his problem, anyway?"

"He's just worried about you…" Marie said matter of fact-ly. "I told you… you are acting weir this past week…"

"He didn't seem so worried about me…" Draco said, glancing at the door. "He screamed at me!"

"It's just his way to say he cares…" Marie smiled. "He… he just can't express his feelings very well…"

"Oh, I saw that!" Draco exclaimed. Marie started to dry the cups.

"Don't take him wrong…" the raven said, "He really likes you…" she smiled again. "He is like that… he tends to… yell when wanting to help somebody. He can't express feelings like… normal humans, that's it…" Marie was stumbling on her own words. She hesitated, not sure if she should speak or not. "Don't take him wrong…" Marie said again, after a moment of silence.

Draco wanted to ask so much then but he didn't dare to. Harry somewhere in the vicinity flapped his wings. The door opened and Josh returned back.

"Now… where are you, you bloody…" Josh said, his cigarette dangling to the side of his mouth. Both Marie and Draco looked at him as he took a bottle from a plastic bag.

"It's not needed anymore…" Marie said with a smile. Josh enquired his eyebrow.

"What?"

"The owl ate it…" Draco said. Josh blinked then a smile appeared on his lips and moved to where the owl was standing.

"Really?" he looked at the owl. "I so love you!" and he made to hug the animal. Harry scared flied away and Draco laughed along with Marie.

---

Harry Potter felt like an idiot as he stared down at the papers on his desk. He sighed. Signed the paper. Sighed again. Read the report. Sighed. He really felt like an idiot. Harry thought it would have been easier. Leaving Draco. Hell, why was he still thinking about him? They never were real friends. They never talked to each other, or even miss each other if they couldn't see each other for years! Why? Why now everything has changed? Why did he felt like shit?

Harry thought that the plan had seemed perfect at first.

In the beginning he would go to Draco only in the mornings and say that he couldn't pick him up. Then, some days later, he wouldn't go in the mornings too. Draco would slowly get used to be without him and would live like a normal (or as normally as he could) muggle life. Without him.

And everything would return back to normal.

Shacklebolt wouldn't pester him about going to work in time and about neglecting his Auror's duties.

Ginny wouldn't look so hurt, anymore, whenever he came late home.

So why he felt like an idiot? Like he was letting something go away?

Harry sighed.

Suddenly, Ron entered his office with the largest smile on his face. Harry looked up from the papers he had to sign and enquired his eyebrows.

"What is it?"

Ron grinned even more. Harry was now even more curious as Ron sat down before him.

"Guess what?"

"Ron, just spill it!" Harry exclaimed as Ron remained there, grinning, and moved neared to Harry. Harry bowed his head a little too to hear.

"I'm going to propose to Hermione tonight!" Ron whispered, his eyes twinkling with excitement. "I'm going to ask her to marry me!"

Harry's eyes widened.

"Really?!" his voice rise two octaves. Ron put a hand on his mouth to shut him up.

"Yeah!" Ron said when Harry calmed down.

"Finally!" Harry whispered back. Ron rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Ron! It was about time!" Harry said as a matter of fact.

"Look who's talking… Ginny isn't going to wait for eternity, you know?" Ron said.

"Why?" Harry said, suddenly alarmed. "Did she say something about it?"

"How I'm supposed to know…" Ron said. "But I know Ginny and I know she can't wait…"

"Oh…" Harry relaxed a little. "Well… I'm happy for you!" Harry said after a moment, smiling again. "Contact me tonight… or tomorrow morning…" Ron blushed a little, understanding what Harry was implying, "To tell me what happened…"

"Okay…" Ron grinned again.

"WEASLEY!" someone shouted just then and both Ron and Harry turned to the source.

"Maybe I should go…" Ron said standing up. "See you, Harry!"

"Good luck for tonight!" Harry said.

"I hope I won't stumble on my words… oh, Merlin…" Ron said as steps approached.

"No, you won't! Bye!"

And Ron was out of Harry's office. Harry smiled a little to himself then snorted at the papers on his desk. He was going to do something stupid. He knew it… but Ron gave him the idea. Well, not really the same idea, but…

Harry knew he was doing something _very _stupid….

But he didn't give a damn as he disappeared from sight with a loud 'pop'.

---

Marie waved as the last clients of the day exited the place.

"Goodbye!" she said and made to collect the dirty cups of coffee. Josh helped her and looked at Draco.

"Okay, you can go now… with that stupid owl of yours…" Josh said, frustrated.

"I thought you loved it…" Draco said as he swept the floor. Josh snorted.

"I did…" he said, "Then he shitted all over my coat!"

Marie chuckled then she looked up as the door opened.

"Sorry we're closed!" she said then saw who it was and smiled.

"Has Draco left?" a manly voice said. Everyone turned around.

---

Harry looked around the coffee place in search of Draco and saw Marie smiling at him. Then suddenly a broom fell down and Harry's eyes travelled quickly to a blond boy looking open mouthed at him. Harry felt his heart pound.

Harry looked at Draco imperceptibly trembled.

Draco suddenly was grinning. Harry watched him as he smiled widely at him. The first real smile Draco had ever showed Harry.

And suddenly Harry Potter knew why he had felt like shit…

He knew why he couldn't forget about the blond boy he had so much hated when at Hogwarts as Draco quickly pulled on his coat and approached him.

As Draco's scent filled his nostrils once more.

He knew…

He had fallen in love with Draco.


	14. The zoo part 1

**I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORY!**

**I LEFT EVERYONE WAITING FOR THE NEXT PART. This was written in a rush so it's not as good as I wanted it to be. I just felt that I should post something because it will take months for me to continue to the next chapter. **

**I'm very sorry!**

**_Happymood**

Josh stared at Draco's wide grin as he put on his coat and ordered the owl –stupid shitty owl, Josh added to himself- to come with him. The cigarette in his two fingers was long forgotten, which was a waste, really, and as soon as the thought crossed his mind the "lethal stick" was immediately back between his lips. Harry smiled politely as Draco waved them goodbye and told them both the same old "see you tomorrow" before turning his full attention back at Harry. Marie waved back with a soft smile on her face and Josh wanted to snort at how stupid and clumsy that idiot… _Harry_ wasn't it?... seemed to be as he tried to speak to the blond while opening the door for Draco at the same time.

'Man… isn't he stupid…' Josh sighed and stared at the cigarette in his fingers. 'So retarded…'.

It was something, Josh had to admit, he never had seen so far. Harry had never seemed so uneasy and awkward with his blond friend before. In fact, Harry had never _blushed_ that much when talking to Draco before. Heck, Josh thought, he is acting like a little schoolgirl in love.

Wait a minute…

"Marie…" Josh said, grinning a little, and the raven woman looked at him with a curious expression on her face at Josh's amused tone of voice.

"What is it?" she asked, titling her head a little to the side.

"We were right…" Josh said and smiled. "But Draco is the only one who doesn't know and the other boy… well, he realized it just now…".

Marie 'ooh'-ed at his words and unconsciously looked back at the now closed door of the coffee place.

"Just now?" Marie repeated then she smiled. "You want to help Draco out, don't you?"

"Like heck…" Josh exclaimed, suddenly angry, and stared at the consumed cigarette in his fingers. "I don't give a damn about Draco and his fucking love life…"

"Isn't he your friend?" Marie asked, secretly smiling. Josh snorted and disappeared in the back room as if nothing had been said.

---

"I shouldn't talk to you…" Draco said, serious, after while he and Harry walked side by side in silence. "Not after the things you did to me…" the blond stared in front of him and not once he looked up at the slightly taller boy beside him. Harry sighed:

"Draco… I was busy…."

"Hmph…" the blond boy grunted and Harry hoped Draco had believed him. His brilliant plan to let Draco get used to being alone had resulted to be a total failure. Harry needed Draco. Harry wanted to be near this cocky, arrogant, boy. As crazy as it may sound Harry couldn't leave him.

Harry had tried to remember all the things Draco had done to him while at Hogwarts. All the hatred, the spiteful remarks and the fights, everything just to recall the feelings he had back then for the boy and in a way make it easier for him to let Draco go. It was useless and somehow it felt as if… as if even back then… no! That was plain stupid! No! No! No! Back then Harry hated him!

"Harry?" the soft voice threw him out of his muddled thoughts. Harry looked down at Draco, who had in the meantime stopped before a sign without Harry even noticing. Harry stared at Draco's pale skin and the way he was frowning at the huge wooden sign.

Harry could say whatever he wanted. Harry could try everything but it would be hopeless and he knew it. Harry couldn't, didn't want to stop loving Draco.

"What is it?" Harry asked then. Draco looked up at him and frowned again.

"Is a _zoo_ an eatable thing?"

Harry thought that in that moment London, no, _the whole world_ had stopped and was now staring at them. Even Draco's owl was staring at his owner as if he had gone mental.

---

"Oh, so that's a zoo…." Draco whispered as he stared at the animals around them. "Look at that! I never thought I would see a real leopard in my life!" he suddenly shouted. Some kids stopped to stare at him, then started running, giggling like mad.

"Draco!" Harry whispered, blushing. "You are making a fool of yourself!"

"Oh, who cares?" Draco exclaimed. "I'm free to do whatever I want! No one knows me!"

That's right, Harry thought, no one does. "But you are embarrassing me!" Harry said. Draco stopped and looked at him. "Really, you are acting like a child!"

"What if I am?" Draco said and suddenly he smiled. "I don't care and neither should you…"

"Were has that blond jerk that cared what everyone thought gone to?" Harry exclaimed and suddenly Draco started laughing, taking Harry totally aback.

"Come on!" Draco took Harry hand in his. "I want to see the penguins!" and as soon as the words left his mouth Draco dragged Harry away to say animals. They stopped before the vast pool where the penguins were. "Look, Harry…."

Harry had been in a zoo before. Draco had not but Harry couldn't understand why the blond boy acted like this, so differently from that boy he had known for seven whole years.

Then Harry stopped caring altogether as Draco smiled at him.

Still hand in hand.


	15. The zoo part 2

In the wizarding world, since the day he was born, Draco Malfoy was regarded as Lucius Malfoy's heir and, as such, he was to follow his father's footsteps and be like him in everything he did. It was expected for him to. No one had asked him. Initially, however, Draco didn't mind so much, in fact he found that being a jerk around the muggle-lovers or speak funny with his parent's friends could be even called fun. Year by year doing so, he forgot what his real self was like.

In the wizarding world everyone knew who he was and he had to act, speak, walk and even look in a certain way, so as not to spoil his name and his ancestors. Years and years of doing just that made him forget who he really was, what he really liked.

What he really wanted.

It took him the damned Death Eaters mark on his arm to realize what his heart really desired. Draco wanted something he thought he already had, or, maybe, what everyone made him believe to have. Something that Draco Malfoy was certain Harry Potter had.

Maybe one of the reasons he hated the boy-who-lived so much. Maybe. Draco wasn't sure.

Freedom.

Freedom to say whatever he wanted. Freedom to be with whoever he wanted. Freedom to be. But by the time he realized it, it was already too late. He couldn't back away. Or he would die. For Draco death was not an option.

Harry Potter saved him.

War ended.

His punishment came.

Suddenly, Draco was alone. In a world where no one knew him and neither cared to know. Where they didn't care who Lucius was, what Death Eaters were. It is a world populated by muggles.

Harry Potter saved him from loneliness and the muggles gave him freedom. He could do whatever he wanted now.

He could be just Draco.

'Finally…'. the blond boy sighed as he sat down on the bench. Harry sat beside him and stared at the lollipop in his hand. Harry's brow twitched.

"I feel like an idiot…"

"Oh, well, I'm glad to hear that…" Draco said and snickered. Harry sighed.

"Really, remember me why you wanted it in the first place…?" Harry studied the piece of candy in his hands. Draco looked at him like he was crazy.

"I didn't want it!" Draco exclaimed. "You bought it for me!"

"Draco…" Harry said, "You were jealous of little kids running around with giant red lollipops and whined to me about it for at least three hours so I bought you one to see what the big fuss was about…."

"It weren't three hours…" Draco exclaimed and then abruptly put his hands on his mouth. He had betrayed himself!

"Sooo…" Harry started, grinning, "You admit you were _whining_ about it…."

"Oh, shut up and throw it away already! It's too sweet for me!" Draco crossed his arms against his chest and stared at an innocent zebra before them. The zebra felt shivers run down her spine. Why did that boy stared at her so madly? He wanted to eat her? Slowly, keeping her eyes on the blond human, she walked away.

"Throw it away?" Harry gazed at the lollipop. "What a waste of money…" and with that he plopped the candy in his mouth. Draco stared at Harry and his eyes widened.

"Oh! You wanted it?" Harry said and showed the dripping with saliva lollipop to Draco.

"That's disgusting…" Draco said. Harry laughed and put the candy back in his mouth. Draco wanted to smile but pretending to be still disgusted he looked away, back at the zebras before them.

Draco then looked at the blue sky above them, then back at the silent boy, no, man, sat beside him. Draco gazed at the lollipop's white stick hanging from Harry's lips and slowly his eyes travelled up to the scar hidden behind black hair.

"Tell me the truth…" suddenly Draco said, blushing a little, realizing he had been staring too much. "Why it took you so much to come back to me?"

"Mmm?" green eyes searched silver one, found them, and with guilt immediately looked away. "I had… a lot of work…"

"Oh…" Draco looked down at his feet.

"But from now on…" Harry continued. "I'm free… if you want me...."

"That's… good to know…" Draco smiled a little. "So, what's new in our world…?"

The abrupt change of subject took Harry a little by surprise. He leaned back on the bench and stared up at the sky above, thinking of any good news he could say to the blond.

"Well?" Draco asked. He hated the silence.

"Ron is going to marry…" Harry said the first thing that came to his mind. Draco blinked at Harry and then burst out laughing. Harry looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"The Weasel is marrying _now_?" Draco said between laughs. "You are kidding me right?"

"No, I'm not…" Harry said, not understanding what was so funny. "He is going to propose to Hermione today…"

"Today?" Draco laughed again. "That… that was unexpected… he is such a coward, isn't he?"

"What? Why?" Harry asked.

"Well, I always thought he was going to marry Granger as soon as he got out of Hogwarts… I thought they were already married!" Draco explained. Harry nodded and laughed too.

"Yeah, I thought so too…" Harry smiled. "But in the end Ron took his time…"

"That's totally unexpected…" Draco said again. "Is that what is troubling you all this time?"

"What? I'm not troubled…" Harry exclaimed.

"Yeah, and pigs fly…" Draco said, raising his eyes to the sky. "Come on, you've been acting differently since you came to Josh's today…"

"What? I'm not…" Harry blushed madly. Oh, man. Did he realize? Did he realize that he was… he…?

"I'm betting you are troubled that Weasley is going to marry before you…" Draco said matter-of-factly. Harry burst out laughing and almost chocked on his lollipop. The raven took the almost finished candy out of his mouth and threw it away in the nearest basket. He coughed once more then looked at Draco's worried face.

"I told you to throw it away before…" the blond said. "You could have died!"

"Yeah… imagine that… 'Savior of the Wizarding World killed by lollipop'…" Harry grinned and Draco laughed.

"That would be funny…" Draco said. "Anyway, may I tell you something?"

"What is it?" Harry had stopped coughing and was drying some tears that had formed in his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

"I think you are horrible in choosing girlfriends…"

"Huh?" Harry looked at Draco, who was smiling a little to himself.

"First that crybaby, you know who I'm talking about, right? That Ravenclaw girl… Chang, wasn't it? And now _her_…" Draco said referring to Ginny Weasley. "I don't know if you had dated someone else too but, let me tell you, you fall in love with the wrong girls…"

"You really think so?" Harry asked then.

"I bet everyone does think so too…." Draco laughed. "What's so special about Weasley anyway? She is so annoying!"

Harry wanted to feel insulted by everything Draco said, but as he looked at the other man's facial features, his every word seemed to do nothing to his heart.

"So I fall in love with wrong girls… what about boys?" Harry said and the question took Draco totally aback then laughed.

"I bet you would choose the wrong person to love again. But, really, I don't see you as that type of guy…"

"No, huh?" Harry said and looked at Draco. "Maybe you are right…"

'Maybe I do fall in love with the wrong person…" Harry thought and lowered his eyes to his shoes.

"Of course I am…" Draco said. "But that was really a strange question on your behalf…"

"I was just wondering…" Harry explained. "Why? Do you have something against homosexual relationships?"

Why do I continue with this shit? Harry thought. Someone stop me! Before I say something stupid! Talk about the weather! Yeah, the weather… beautiful sun, isn't it? It could go…

"No, really no…" Draco said, unexpectedly. "I… I…"

"You?" Harry was now curious as Draco started to blush madly.

"When I was eleven I had a crush on a boy, that's all…"

"You're kidding me!" Harry said. The raven felt his heart clench inside him. Was he jealous of an eleven year old boy now?

"It was nothing… it passed really quickly… beautiful sun, isn't it?" Draco said and laughing he pointed at the sky. "I'm fed up of this place! Take me home!"

Harry sighed and sat up too.

Draco watched Harry slowly follow him and tried with all his might to stop blushing. What if…? His mind told him. What if…?

But Draco wanted to think about it and he wasn't going to say it.

'What if I told you, you were my first crush, Harry? What would you do?'

No, Draco wasn't going to say it.

Not now. Not ever.


	16. Madness

Draco didn't have the time to think about old and stupid feelings. _Old _because, well, he didn't love, no, wait, had a crush on Potter _now, _and _stupid _because… oh, damn it! That didn't need to be analyzed! Someone must be incredibly stupid to fell in love – dammnit! To _have a crush on_ that stupid boy-who-lived, Saviour of the Wizarding World, or what in the heck they liked to call him. No, he didn't have the time to think about it because he had a looot of work to do! Work! Work! Work! What, Marie? Yeah, yeah, he would stop daydreaming and clean that table, even if he _wasn't _absolutely daydreaming. No, he wasn't. He was judging the best way to clean that table. What? It was the truth! Why? Don't you believe me?

"No, I don't…" Marie said. "Now clean that up and when you are finished prepare two macchiato and three espressos…"

"And then buy me some cigarettes…" Josh chirped in, in his happier voice Draco had ever heard from him. Draco, cleaning, with a dirty and dripping with water cloth in hand smiled at a cute, brunette, customer calling out for him, and slowly turned around to face his dyed blond boss with his most pissed off face. Really, Josh was too happy for his tastes.

"Do it yourself, idiot!" Draco exclaimed and made to go take the brunette's order but Josh grabbed his arm and refrain him from moving.

"Now, Draco, dear… don't be a spoilsport!" Josh said and put an arm around the younger man's shoulder. Draco's eyes twitched.

"Are you nuts?" Draco exclaimed, trying to shake away Josh's hand.

"Who wouldn't be?" Josh exclaimed, raising his arms to the air and then pointed to a box on the counter. Draco raised his eyebrows. Josh grinned, resulting in Draco having a heart attack, and then walked, no, waltzed, to the box of his dreams. "Draco…" Josh said, with an official tone of voice. "You have the honor to meet the reason I'm nuts!"

Draco was then afraid. Harry told him about drugs and Draco knew they weren't a good thing. However, Draco wasn't sure if the reason Josh was nuts was because of drugs. Whatever it was it could make Draco nuts too! He had to leave! Now!

"The, with a capital T may I add…" Josh continued, caressing the box as if it was a precious thing. "The precious, worth of admiring, exquisite and very expensive Coffee Machine 3000!" Josh shouted, opening the box, with stars fleeting from his eyes. Draco expected everything, really. Even an orchestra playing in the back, underlining the magnificence of the box… but _this_…

"Josh…" Draco started, "It's just a coffee machine… like the one we have right here…" and pointed an identical coffee machine somewhere on their right. Josh shoot it a despising look then looked at Draco as if it was him the mad one, then a look of complete understanding ran through Josh's eyes.

"Oh, Draco… Draco… Draco…" Josh said, not taking his eyes off The Coffee Machine "…that is a plain Coffee Machine 2999. This. Is. 3000… poor baby, you don't know the difference. This is the best! Makes a wide range of coffees… adds sugar on his own, if you give it the right command of course… and!" Josh shot his finger up. "It even tells you the time!" and pointed at a clock on the back side of the machine.

"Oookay…" Draco said, slowly moving backwards.

"The best on the market, Draco dear!" Josh said. "And I have the honor to be one of it's first purchasers!"

"If you are one of the first purchasers, how do you know it's one of the best on the market?" Draco asked, but Josh wasn't listening to him and instead talked to his precious coffee machine as if it was his baby. Draco shrugged and took the opportunity to go do his chores but abruptly Josh talked again.

"When we close…" Josh said, suddenly serious. "I need to talk to you…" and with that returned his attention to his new purchase.

"Okay…" Draco said, a little taken aback. Then Marie called for him and he totally forgot about Josh and his mood changes.

---

When the last client paid and left the Coffee Place Draco sat immediately down on the nearest chair, completely exhausted. He had never worked so much in his whole life and, really, back then there wasn't any reason to. Draco closed his eyes and remembered his years at Hogwarts. How much he was revered back then, his bodyguards and those who he had called friends, and then he remembered the fear for his family's and his own life when he became a Death Eater, the rejection when he couldn't do what they ordered him to. No one had stayed with him in the end. The only one… Draco opened his eyes, his heart pounding hard in his chest.

The only one who stayed by his side… was… Harry.

His rival Harry. His hated Harry. His unbelievable Harry.

Draco looked up at the clock on the wall: the raven will be arriving in half an hour, and as the thought crossed his mind, his stomach twisted. "Perfect…" Draco thought, "I'm sick again… or maybe I'm hungry…?"

Marie was humming a song while preparing the tables for the next day and smiled at him a little. Draco smiled at her back and then looked back at Josh fending his precious Coffee Machine 3000. Crazy, crazy man… Draco thought. What was that machine good for anyway? Oh, if he could have his wand back in his hands now, he would…

"Well… I'm going now…" Marie exclaimed, her bag on her shoulders. "Goodbye Draco! See you tomorrow! Josh! Don't forget the plates!"

Josh raised his right hand, showing he had heard her and continued doing… whatever he had been doing. Draco, really, wasn't interested to know. Marie smiled again and exited the Shop.

Draco sighed again. He was exhausted. He wanted to go home… Harry should have known he would finish earlier! Why wasn't he there already?? Ah! That idiot!

"Dracoooooo" Josh suddenly whispered in the blonds' ears and Draco jolt up, terrified. At the reaction Josh started to laugh really hard. "You are so funny!" the older man exclaimed, between laughter, and clenched his stomach with both his hands.

"Ha ha ha…" Draco said, sarcastically, "Tickle me, I must laugh…" the blond said and sat down on his chair again. Josh grinned then, slyly, and Draco didn't like the sadistic smile at all. "What is it? Why do you look at me like that?" Draco exclaimed then, irritated.

"I'm just thinking you didn't hear me calling you because you were thinking about your… let's call him… your Prince Charming?" Josh said, deviously and chuckled again.

"My what?!" Draco exclaimed. "What are you talking about..!"

"Harry Potta, isn't it?"

"It's Potter…"

"I don't find him _that_ attractive, but if it's your type…" Josh continued, as if Draco hadn't talked. Draco was blushing madly now.

"We are not…" Draco said, wanting to punch Josh really, really hard in the jaw. "You got it all wrong, you pervert… you idiot…" Draco's eyes twitched. "Just shut the heck up…"

Josh leaned above Draco and looked at his face, then made to sit just in front of a very angry Draco Malfoy. Josh sighed and then looked at Draco with puppy dogs eyes.

"Do you really think I'm an idiot?" Josh pouted and Draco raised his eyebrows, completely taken aback.

"Do your cigarettes have… something illegal in them?" Draco enquired making Josh laugh again.

"Well, they are not exactly healthy… but today they are not the reason I'm in such a good mood…" Josh said and leaned on the table. Draco wasn't sure about that, though.

"Were you always like this?" Draco asked. Josh smiled.

"Yup! Most of the time…" Josh said, "How about you? Since when you hung out with that Potter guy?" and slyly grinned again. Draco wanted to smack him.

"First of all, why do you care about that idiot so much? Second of all, we don't _hang out_… I just know him since we were eleven..."

"Isn't that the same thing?" Josh asked, titling his head to the side.

"No, it's not. Because hanging out means you are friends… and we…" Draco stopped. Josh raised his eyebrow and smiled at him.

"And you are not?"

Draco had never thought about it. To be exact.

"I used to hate him…" Draco said, "And he used to hate me… even if most of the time he ignored me… In any case this is not exactly your standard friendship, you know…"

"I don't see any hate now, though…" Josh said.

"Josh… it's…" Draco said. "When we were at school we were rivals… then, things got complicated…" Draco wanted to stop talking but the words came out of his mouth all by themselves. "I… chose the wrong path… I did something stupid…" he whispered. "All who loved me back then turned their back on me… and… the only one who decided to help me out was…"

"That is complicated…" Josh said. "But still… you don't regard each other at friends…"

Draco shook his head and looked down at his shoes. Josh sighed.

"You know… there is a thin line between hate and love… you may have hated him so much because he ignored you and didn't pay attention to you… to you who had a crush on him…"

"What?!" Draco shouted and blushed madly. "Oh, man! I never said that!"

Josh grinned. "I have a master in psychology…"

"You have what?" Draco exclaimed again.

"Well… and now, after all this hate… now that he finally paid attention to you, you don't know what to think about it…" Josh continued. "Oh, that is so romantic…" and started to laugh.

"You are insane! Stop this shit! Why are twisting my words around?" Draco exclaimed.

"Am I?" Josh asked grinning but suddenly he looked at the clock and became serious again. "Let me do some kind of experiment…" and stood up from his place.

"Josh what are you do-" Draco stopped abruptly as Josh leaned down and…

Kissed him on the lips.

Draco eyes widened. Josh lips were soft on his but the only thought that Draco had was Harry's name. Draco slapped Josh, in a very manly way, mind you, very hard and stood up from his chair, his eyes wide as saucers.

"What was that for?!" Draco cried out. Josh just grinned and turned his back on the younger man. Draco didn't know what to feel but somewhere inside him he felt that he had somehow… betrayed someone?

"Relax…" Josh said. "It was… just a good luck kiss…"

"A good luck kiss?" Draco exclaimed. "You are crazy! You twist my words around! You make me say things I don't want to! And then you kiss me?" he shouted. "What's wrong with you? Do you ever think about what you are doing?"

"Oh, yeah, I do…" Josh said calm as ever. "Now tell me… did you like it?" Josh grinned.

"Of course not!" Draco shouted. "I'm not in love with you or something!"

"That's good to know…" Josh said and sat down. "Is there someone else you would have liked to kiss?"

Draco's only thought then was: "Harry… where the heck is Harry?" as the blond blinked at Josh at his last statement. What was that all? He couldn't figure out what was happening… Josh was acting so… freakishly mad!

"See you in two days, brat…" Josh said and smiled. "Have a good weekend!"

Draco now knew what to feel and he was _mad_. Furiously mad. Without a word he took his stuff from the back room and without even glancing at Josh stormed out of the shop and slammed the door hard.


	17. Lost and found

**AN: HI! THERE! XD So, how was Christmas (or any other holiday you celebrate)? Did you start well this New Year? XD Well, here it's the new chapter of Wake Up Call! I have to tell you that the poll's closed and I've got 72% not epilogue compliant. **

**To redmeadow, now, if you are reading this, tell me if you are okay! **

**Well, now, on with the story! I hope this chapter will make you happy! XD**

Draco stormed out from Josh's coffee place, tried, really hard, to slam the door behind him (and failed), made some really pissed off steps forwards and… collapsed on top of the man he least wanted to see in that moment.

"Draco!" the man he least wanted to see in that moment shouted and the blond stood immediately up and blushed deeply red. Harry put a hand on Draco's shoulder and tried to look at the other's boy face through his blond bangs. "What happened? I'm sorry I'm late. You're not mad at _me_, are you?"

"That BASTARD kissed me!" Draco couldn't contain himself and threw his arms up the air, almost smacking Harry on the face.

"What?" Harry asked surprised, then after a moment: "What…" his voice was deep, almost homicidal.

"Yeah!" Draco exclaimed: "That %&^ of Josh! He went on and on saying incomprehensible things and then OUT OF THE BLUE he kissed me! On-the-lips!" Draco's blush deepened and suddenly he couldn't look at Harry in the face anymore, the feeling of guilt he felt was unbearable. Without another word Draco pushed Harry softly away and ran away Merlin knows where.

Harry was petrified, on the outside, that's it, on the inside he was an active volcano, ready to burst at every given moment. His mind was so blurry Harry didn't even realize he had opened the door to Josh's Coffee Place and had made some steps in.

"Oh, hullo, Harry!" Josh grinned and waved at him, all the while mending with his new coffee machine "If you came for our little Draco he stormed out of here some minutes ago. If you run, maybe you'll catch him!"

Harry looked at Josh. That man kissed Draco? Kissed? His Draco? His? Without realizing what he was doing, Harry walked quickly to where Josh was humming quietly, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him _hard_ against the wall. Harry knew that if he reached for inside his jacked he could take out his wand and kill Josh in that instant but refrained from doing so.

"What the hell is wrong with you, man! Are you in love with Draco or something?" Harry exclaimed. Josh continued to simply _grin_.

"What are you talking about? Oh, you mean… that little good luck kiss?"

"Good luck kiss?" Harry was pissed.

"Yeah, our Draco, if _you _haven't noticed needed a little push to…"

"You don't make any sense, Josh!" Harry cut him off, "How dare you kiss Draco! You little…" Harry cursed and he wanted so much to punch Josh's smirk from his face.

"Quite possessive, aren't we? _Harry_?" Josh said, still smiling, and in that moment Harry let go of Josh as if burned. "I thought so…" the dyed blond continued and walked past a lightheaded Harry to sit again beside his coffee machine. "You know you are both very stubborn and REALLY why I try to help out both of you is beyond my comprehension…" Josh said and reached for his pocket to take a cigarette out.

"Help us?" Harry repeated quite stupidly, then suddenly his anger was back: "Why did you kiss him…? Is this is some way to get Draco's attention, just know it won't work…"

"Oh, man…" Josh sighed and took a drag, "Why would I want to date your Draco? I'm not into men and besides I'm already engaged…"

The world stopped spinning. Harry was sure.

"Engaged?" Harry opened his mouth and closed it once or thrice before speaking again: "Who would want to marry a mad man like you?"

"That wasn't very nice, Harry…" Josh patted his cigarette's ash away, "I'm quite handsome and smart…" Harry snorted but Josh continued: "…and many ladies want to spend their precious time with me…"

"You are kidding me right?" Harry said.

"Of course not, dear Harry…" Josh said grinning like the mad man he was, "Oh, by the way, Marie and I will marry next June. Wanna come?"

"Marie?" Harry blinked, "That sweet lady is going to marry _you_?"

"Love's blind!" Josh laughed, "So is Draco…" Josh took another drag and ran a finger through his cut short hair, "Really Harry, how could you think that I could get Draco's attention with that little innocent kiss when I know his real attentions are drifted _elsewhere_?"

"Where?" Harry suddenly felt very exhausted and sat on the nearest chair he could find.

"Oh, well, that's for you to know…" Josh said and looked sadly at his finished cigarette. "I already found out… By the way, Harry dear, do you know where Draco had stormed out to? I'm quite afraid he lost himself…" Josh said smiling and Harry immediately stood up and ran out from the Coffee Place.

"Teenagers…" Josh whispered and lighted another cigarette.

---

Okay, Draco thought as the fury slowly dissipated in what could be described as just a little bit of irritation, maybe storming out hadn't been that great of an idea after all. The key word here was _maybe_, because, should he remind everybody that Malfoys always know where they are going?

"So where the heck am I?" Draco whispered then. Okay, _maybe _he was lost. Big deal. Harry would find him… he guessed. But if Draco was lost, how would Harry find him? Man! It was all that damned jerk-slash-idiot-slash-monkey fault! Why the heck had he kissed him?

The fact was that Draco wasn't as angry at Josh as he should have. A fact that totally pissed him of, by the way. No, Draco was most angry at himself than anyone else. Draco was walking in some kind of a park and he was aware that the muggles around him were staring at him, but he couldn't care less. He must look totally crazy, what with his hair messier than Harry's ever will be, from all the times Draco pulled them in annoyance.

Harry…

Draco spotted a bench and sat heavily down. Harry. Everything he did was because of Harry. Harry Potter, for Merlin's sake! Draco was one hundred percent sure now: Josh was a bad influence. Draco had felt so bad when that dyed blond jerk had kissed him, forgotten feelings for Harry resurfaced, making him feel guilty, stupid and most of all angry.

Angry because he couldn't lo- no, like, sounded better, Potter. Angry because Harry would never lo-, like! _Like_ for Merlin's sake, him back. The raven had a girlfriend too, he reminded himself.

Angry because he was in deep shit for so many reasons he would need days to write them all down. Draco ran a hand through his blond hair.

"You are an idiot…" Draco said. When he was a wizard, well, technically he still was, but… well, when he was still in the Wizarding World everything was much easier. There he was Malfoy's heir, he had to act and think in a certain way. It was easier to forget. Now he was free from all that and it made it easier to… remember. Draco sighed and looked up at the sky. "I just want to go home…" he told to no one and with a swift motion stood up.

Harry had told him once that there were special cars that take people wherever they wanted to, what was the word? Toxi? Taxo? Well, whatever, Draco decided to take one anyway. Or at least try to.

---

Harry knew what he had felt. He wasn't confused about his feeling as he should. Harry had felt damn jealous and furious at Josh for laying his mad fingers on Draco! The fact that made him even more furious was that in his jealous state of mind he had decided to kill Josh than follow Draco. Harry hadn't managed to kill Josh, that sneaky bastard knew his way around with words, but he had managed to lose Draco, and that was worse.

Harry had to admit he didn't know London well but he knew his way around and if he lost himself Harry didn't have any problems to ask for directions. Something he knew Draco wouldn't do even if they told him they would put Josh in a zoo keeping company to starving tigers if Draco did so. And that said something.

Harry searched everywhere. Draco was nowhere and Harry had started to panic. If someone told him seven years before that he would miss Draco so much, Harry was sure he would have died laughing. But here he was, walking around like an idiot all the places he knew of London searching another idiot who had decided to storm out from the Coffee Place without thinking.

What if he had fell in a hole and died? Ok, now Harry had to admit he was exaggerating, but what if Draco had crossed the street and in his state of mind didn't see the car coming? What if someone decided Draco was too beautiful and followed him in a dark corner to rape him?

"Stop!" Harry shouted making passers-by to stop and stare. Harry had the decency to blush. It was all Josh's fault, Harry decided, that he thought that way. He was really a bad influence. Then suddenly Harry thought that maybe, _maybe, _Draco had managed to go home.

Harry didn't have anything to lose. He would return to Draco's home and if he wasn't there, he would definitely call the police.

---

When Harry arrived before Draco's door he was surprised to see the door was slightly open. Fearing the worst Harry took his wand out from his jacket's inside pocket and entered Draco's house.

To say Harry was simply shocked would be an understatement, because there was Draco drinking directly from a bottle of wine, in the company of… a really fat man. What was worse was that they seemed to enjoy themselves.

"Bottom' up!" the man said, clapping his hands and Draco complied. Harry's jaw had met the floor. Harry swiftly moved to Draco's side and took the bottle from his hands, earning a glare from both men.

"Hey!" Draco whined and Harry blinked at how much Draco seemed drunk. The other man took a sip from another bottle of wine and stood up from the couch.

"What' up with ya?" the man said, swinging a little. Harry's left eye twitched.

"Who are you?" Harry said, aware at how Draco had started giggling madly trying to get the bottle of wine back.

"He is the taxo driver…" Draco said, Harry looked at him: "I didn't have (hic) money and told him to (hic) come in…"

"Are you crazy?" Harry whispered and Draco leaned on him, "You took a taxi? Where did you find the wine?"

"Found these bottles of wine in tha fridge…" the fat man said. Harry abruptly looked at the taxi driver and put a hand in his pocket, while all the while holding a drunken Draco in his arms, and took out some money.

"Take the rest and get out of here…" Harry said and the fat man took the two bottles of wine and the money and waved at Harry military style.

"'oodbye Draco!" the man said, Draco waved at him. As soon as the man was out and away Harry shut the door and looked at Draco who was snuggling in his arms. Harry tried not to blush.

"Are you out of your mind, Draco?" Harry shouted and tried to move Draco to the couch. "You took a taxi without any money, invited a stranger home, who could have been a killer for all you knew, and then you go yourself drunk? What the hell have you been thinking?"

"I'm not that drunk…" Draco said and sat down on the couch, his hands thought were still grabbing Harry's shirt. Harry was forced to sit down too. "Do you (hic) know you are cute when angry?" Draco suddenly said leaning closer to Harry. Something in the raven's stomach clutched.

"That damned kiss hit you hard…" Harry said. Draco's face suddenly became dark.

"Sorry about that…" Draco said.

"You are sorry because_ Josh_ kissed you?" Harry said, not believing what he was hearing. Draco put his head on Harry's chest.

"Yeah, can you (hic) forgive me?" Draco said. Harry couldn't see Draco's face but his scent so near his nose made Harry dizzy.

"Forgive you?"

"I kinda like you…" Draco said. "Oops, I shouldn't have said that…" and started giggling madly. Harry felt his face burn. Draco was drunk, surely he didn't meant what he said. Suddenly Draco's face was inches away from his own, their foreheads were slightly touching. "I am drunk (hic) otherwise… otherwise I never would have dared to say…"

Draco was drunk but Harry was starting to feel drunk too from Draco's scent. Harry knew he shouldn't take advantage of the situation but he was tempted to move his head a little and…

A moment their foreheads were touching, then suddenly Draco pulled away and Harry felt cold at the lost contact. Draco put an arm on his eyes and started giggling again.

"I'm an idiot Harry…"

"Yeah…" Harry said when he remembered how to speak, "You are…"

"I want you to…" Draco laughed again but this time it was out of nervousness. Harry looked at him. He didn't know what to do: should he put Draco to sleep? Should he wait until Draco was unconscious and then leave? Should he…?

"You want me to what?" Harry felt himself say. Draco was drunk, he didn't know what he was saying.

"I will regret it…" Draco said and then suddenly Harry was staring at Draco's silver eyes, then his eyes dropped down on Draco's lips. Without another word Harry's eyes felt shut and Draco's lips were on his, kissing him, at first lightly.

Harry didn't know what made him put his hand through Draco's hair, pulling him closer, kissing him deeper, neither did he know when Draco had shot his arms around Harry. All he could think of was that Draco's taste was unique and he wanted more.

All he could think was how he had managed to live without knowing that taste. In the back of his head Harry knew he should pull away and stop this madness. Fact was he didn't want to and neither did Draco, who kissed him back fervently.

"I don't want to forget…" Draco said, panting a little, when they pulled apart for air.

"Me neither…" Harry said, his voice just above a whisper.


	18. Break

When Harry woke that morning he didn't immediately recognize where he was. All he could think of was: well, this is certainly not my apartment. It took him a while to remember what happened the night before and when he did Harry shot up from the couch he had been sleeping on, making a lot of ruckus.

"Shit!" he cursed as his knee hit the little table before the couch. Suddenly a head peeked from the kitchen and Harry stopped jumping like an idiot on one foot and looked at Draco. They stared at each other long but strangely enough the silence was comfortable.

"Good morning…" Draco said finally and Harry had to swallow once before being able to speak. Harry opened his mouth but Draco beat him to it: "I'm trying to make breakfast but…"

"You should have waited for me!" Harry exclaimed when the hideous smell finally hit his nostrils. Harry literally ran in the kitchen and stared at something black burning in a small frying pan.

"I was hungry, idiot!" Draco exclaimed. "And that was an egg by the way…" he continued when he noticed Harry's curious face as he studied the black thing. Harry snorted and threw the burnt egg in the trash.

"Forget the muggle ways…" Harry said and took his wand out from pocket (it was a wonder it didn't broke as he had slept on it). Harry started to cook the wizarding way, all the while under the scrutinizing stare of Draco. "What?" Harry snapped, putting the eggs and beacon in two plates.

Suddenly Draco threw himself on Harry and kissed him breathlessly. Harry could feel Draco's fingers in his hair, Draco's tongue playing with his and everything was so good it felt unreal. Harry took Draco in his arms and raised him up to sit on the kitchen counter. When the need was too much to hold in any longer they parted and stared at each other.

"Tell me you don't feel guilty…" Draco suddenly said and Harry looked at him as he had gone crazy. "You should feel guilty for kissing someone like me… you are a goody-two-shoes after all…"

"Are you insane?" Harry asked slowly as if talking to a five years old boy. Draco punched him playfully on the shoulder. "I do feel guilty, though… because I should have kissed you so long ago…."

"That's… that's good to know…" Draco said and leaned down for another, breathtaking kiss.

---

It was Saturday and he had to work. Not that Harry cared, really. All he could think was: when had been the last time Harry had sung in public? He couldn't remember… Wait. He didn't remember because he had _never _sung in public… that's strange…was he going crazy? Ah! Who cares! He felt too good to care. Who cares if Miss Bennett, his secretary, was watching him with that strange glint in her eyes… it seemed as if she was ready to call San Mungo.

"No, I'm not going to call any mental institution, Mr. Potter…" she said, "Now could you please stop singing that muggle song and sign these papers? Thank you very much."

Harry did, just to be able to sing 'Mamma mia' soon after Miss Bennett left his office. He felt on cloud nine. It felt better than… than... Quiddich! No, that was kinda wrong. Better than…? Wait a moment… why did he felt as if he had forgotten something really important? He made to sign another paper but the pen he was holding fell down and every thought was cut up abruptly. Not that he was thinking something serious…

"HARRY!"

The unexpected sound of his name from his best friend Ron startled him and made him bump his head on the desk, hard. Harry cursed and his hands shot out to hold his throbbing skull.

"Sorry, mate…" Ron said as Harry stood up, pen in hand. Harry rolled his eyes but he was too happy to care.

"It's nothing…" Harry said and sat down on his chair. Harry looked up at the clock, counting down the minutes he was going to leave his office. In his dizziness it was a miracle for Harry to notice that strange biting on the lip Ron was doing but, even if he didn't care, he asked: "Okay, spit it out, what is it?"

Ron then grinned from ear to ear, resembling for a moment to his brother George, and exclaimed: "Hermione said yes!"

Harry didn't understand the meaning of his words right away. "Hermione said what?"

Ron rolled his eyes: "I asked to marry, she said yes!" he exclaimed again. Okay, now Harry got it right.

"That's wonderful!" Harry exclaimed and stood to hug his friend. "It was about time!"

Ron blushed as always and scratched his head. Then he laughed. "I still don't believe she said yes!" he repeated stupidly. Harry sniggered at Ron incredulous look:

"You've been dating since… well, forever. It was going to happen sooner or later…" Harry said and made to sit again down on his really non comfy chair. Harry looked down at his paperwork, then at the pen in his hand. What was he forgetting?

"Well, that could be said for you too…" Ron said, sitting down on the chair across Harry's desk. "We both know that you are going to marry Ginny sooner or later, no?"

Ginny…

Harry's eyes widened. He could feel the whirls in his head turning madly and almost burn. GINNY! Harry fell from his chair in the rush to stand up. Harry cursed and cursed, making Ron blink at him.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Ron said looking down at Harry's flushed face from the floor. The raven cursed once more and stood immediately up, almost bumping into Ron's nose. "It's something the matter, Harry? Old pal?" his best friend was troubled. Harry thought with a snort that _that _friendly expression on Ron's face wasn't going to last for long.

"I must go!" Harry exclaimed and run out of his office, then made some steps back, looked at Ron once more: "And again my sincere congratulations! I want to know when and where as soon as possible! Bye!" and left the office again.

---

It was Saturday and Harry knew Ginny was going to be so mad at him because he hadn't returned home at all that night. Harry remembered with a blush how he had fallen asleep with a still drunk Draco in his arms and wondered what was he doing there. He was supposed to be in the muggle world with the blond. He was… forget it. Harry was supposed to go to Ginny. Ginny was already mad at him. The facts he was going to tell her made his probability of survival faint to zero.

But.

But she deserved to know. Harry knew how much he was hurting her since that day when Draco called and he devoted all his time for the other man. Harry couldn't ignore those sad eyes anymore. Not now that Draco seemed to return his feelings and he wasn't going to be like one of those guys who dated two persons at a time. He couldn't do that to Ginny.

With all those thoughts in his head he arrived before their apartment. Harry looked up at their apartment's window and thought he saw her figure behind the glass. For a moment he thought of disapparate and return to Draco but Harry just sighed, opened the door and entered their house.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed as soon as he made his first steps in the apartment. Harry stared at her, remembering the day he had fallen in love with her, realizing he hadn't love her as much as he loved Draco now. Harry had to admit she was beautiful. Harry realized she deserved better. "Where have you been?" Ginny asked her tone of voice half worried, half angry. "I had been waiting for you all the damned night!" Ginny exclaimed. "Don't you realize how much I worried? You weren't at work, that much is certain! I…"

"Ginny…" Harry said, cutting her off. "I need to tell you something important…"

Ginny watched him make his way into the living room. Harry watched as the confusion in Ginny's eyes slowly turned into wariness.

"What it is?" Ginny asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry Ginny…" straight to the point, Harry thought, don't hurt her any more. "I'm in love with someone else…"

"What?" Ginny whispered. "What are you telling me?"

"I don't want to hurt you anymore, Ginny. I'm in love with someone else…"

Ginny didn't talk but Harry could see her shaking with sadness, fear and anger.

"Tell me you are kidding me…" Ginny tried again. Harry didn't talk. Suddenly she looked up at him and whispered: "It's _him_, isn't it…?" Harry silence said it all. "You are in an affair with _Draco Malfoy_?" she spat the name as if it was poison and Harry didn't have the time to react that Ginny walked up to him and slapped him hard across the face.

"Snap out of it! What kind of trick is he pulling this time!" she screamed but her eyes were full of tears. "Don't you remember what he had done to you all those years at Hogwarts? What are you saying? You somehow fell in love with that bastard?" she was screaming but Harry couldn't say anything to her. "I don't want to believe that! Tell me it isn't true! What does _he_ have that I don't?"

"I'm sorry. It happened." Harry managed to say. Ginny was crying openly now but when he tried to hug her Ginny punched him away.

"A man! You have an affair with a man! No, Draco Malfoy of all people! Tell me it isn't true…" she said between sobs. Harry just looked at her then sat down on the couch.

"Ginny… it's not your fault…" Harry said, "Listen to me… we… we didn't plan for this to happen…"

The red headed girl looked at him then suddenly disappeared. Harry listened to Ginny's sobs as all the drawers in their room were opened. Doors were slammed closed. Angry steps. Harry didn't need to go upstairs to know what was happening and when all the noise disappeared he knew she wasn't home anymore.


	19. J & M

**AN. Wow. I never thought this fic would be sooo long. Harry and Draco kissed after –what? Seventeen chapters? But I'm so glad everybody loves this story so much. Thank you! Thank you! :D However, I need to organize my thoughts for the next part of Wake up Call and so I decided to post this Bonus story for now**** because it will take a while for the next chapter. It's about Josh and you don't need to read it, if you don't want to. It's not important to the story anyway. Sooo, if you are still reading, please enjoy! **

If Josh closed his eyes he could perfectly see his little house situated in that poor district a little far from London. He perfectly remembered the old wooden door that led inside his home, dirty and ready to break. He remembered the dirty windows and that apple tree outside his bedroom window, the only lively thing in the entire neighborhood. Josh remembered that little house beside their home, less dirty but not more beautiful than his, and that little girl playing alone in the garden with her dolls.

That girl had been his only friend. Josh didn't miss anything else.

His mother had always wanted a child of her own but for many years his parents couldn't conceive. Josh's aunt always told him how much happy his sister had been when she found out she was finally pregnant.

Josh's mother died when he was born and from that day on his father never failed to remind him, especially after he became an alcoholic. Josh could still feel all the beatings, all the kicks and insults on his skin. Josh still wondered how he was still alive.

Any time his father became violent Josh always tried to run away but his father always found him and dragged him home. Sometimes Josh would hide to his neighbor.

"Again, Josh?" the little girl would always say with those big, kind eyes of hers. Josh wouldn't say a thing. "Come in" the little girl would say then as she took his hands in her and showed him inside.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Josh had asked one day. They were twelve. "I'm a bad person. I do deserve the beatings…"

"Everyone deserves to live…" the girl had said with such emotion it still brought tears to Josh's eyes. "And besides you are not a bad person! You are my best friend!" she exclaimed and smiled. Josh found himself liking that smile, a lot. "Come on, let's go eat something…" she said then taking him by the hand.

Before, Josh had thought that, in a way, his father was right. He wasn't supposed to live because he was a murderer. Josh had murdered his own mother and he still loved his father in a way, because he deserved the beating, he deserved the insults. But then the little girl came into his life, opening her home to him whenever he needed it, smiling at him, the first person to call him just 'Josh'.

"Your mother gave her life to you, so you need to live fully now, for the both of you. You deserve to live" the little girl had told him over and over again. From that time on Josh started to realize that the love he felt for his father wasn't love at all, it was fear. Fear slowly turned to hatred and from then on Josh started to finally fight back.

The beatings became more violent but Josh always shut himself in his room with a large smile on his face because now his father had his own wounds to lick.

One day when Josh was sixteen he looked himself in the mirror and found himself hating that raven hair on his head that he had inherited from his father. So, he decided to bleach them. Just like that. His father didn't like it. The fight that was born from such a small fact was the fiercer fight Josh had had and it ended with the teenager finally shoving everything he owned into a small suitcase and walking away from that dirty house once and for all.

"Without me you are nothing!" his father had shouted after him. "Remember! You'll come crawling back to me!"

Josh had smiled and had waved at him, sending him goodbye kisses just to piss him more but in reality he was looking at the little girl watching him from her bedroom window.

"I'll miss you…" Josh thought, "…Marie."

The years that followed were harsh. Josh changed job again and again, trying to collect that little money he needed to live, but not many people wanted to hire that boy with the bleached hair, with that strange smile on his face, so badly dresses and that foul mouth Josh was so proud of. Sometimes when his hirers found someone more trustworthy they fired Josh without a second thought.

"Bastards…" Josh said loudly and leaned on a wall. He took a cigarette from his pocket and looked at it as if it was the more interesting thing in the world. "Just wait till you see what I did to your precious kitchen…" and he started to laugh but soon enough the laughter turned into sobs. It was the first time Josh had cried. "Was he right after all…?" Josh stared at the sky and suddenly his silent tears were mixed with the rain, making it impossible to distinguish one from the other. Josh cursed because now he couldn't light the cigarette he had, well, borrowed from his hirer or was it because he didn't have a place to live anymore? Josh didn't know.

Josh sat down on the wet pavement and put his head in his arms. He decided then to just do the world a favor and die there. Rain poured on him but Josh stayed there, even if he was shivering with cold. No one would miss him, after all. No one…

Suddenly Josh wasn't getting wet anymore and he opened his eyes. A young woman was staring down at him while she was holding an umbrella in a way to protect both of them from the rain. Josh couldn't stop staring at the woman with admiration. She was so beautiful she looked like an angel, and for a moment Josh thought he had indeed died and that she was going to take him away to see his mother. However all those thoughts disappeared as soon as she talked:

"I finally found you, Josh…" and she smiled.

"Marie?"

So she was an angel after all…

The Coffee Place opened some years after Josh and Marie finally found each other.

"Your father is dead, Josh…" one day Marie told him and Josh just continued sweeping their shop and said:

"He will find a lot of friends in Hell…"

Josh had to admit, however, that his father's death had affected him in a way. Josh started to realize that he had no idea how the human mind works. Why did his father had hated him so much? Why those people had looked at him as if he was a freak? Why did he felt like shit even if he should be prancing around like a gay monkey? It was then that Josh decided to study psychology. He took the degree with astounding marks.

"Aaa…" Josh exclaimed. "Was that a year or so ago?" he wondered with the cigarette dangling from his lips. Oh, how much things had happened. "And they still wonder if I do things without a purpose…" Josh polished once more his dear Coffee Machine 3000. "But you trust me, don't you darling?" he asked his precious machine. "Now make me the best coffee you can!" Josh stood up and smiled.

Two seconds later a loud scream could be heard throughout London, followed soon after by a crash.

"Mother#$%!" Josh screamed. "You call that shit a coffee!"

"Who broke the windows, Josh?" Marie asked too kindly for Josh's tastes.

"Err… the sparrows?"


	20. Draco the Spy

Harry was tempted to return to Draco but he knew he had to wait just a little longer in the apartment he and Ginny once shared. Harry knew someone else was going to pay him a visit sooner or later and shortly someone apparated in his home.

Rumors spread really quickly in the Wizarding World, Harry mused, and he looked up to face Ron, who looked furious.

"What did you do to my sister?" Ron almost shouted, "She is bawling her eyes out! Tell me it isn't true… tell me you really didn't…"

Harry was waiting Ron to be mad at him but suddenly Harry wondered why should he be? Really it…

"…isn't your business, Ron!" Harry exclaimed, standing up.

"Yes, it is! You hurt my sister for what? Malfoy? Draco Malfoy? I feel betrayed too, Harry! He was our enemy for so long!" Ron shouted. "He hurt us over and over again…he was a Death Eater, dammit! And suddenly, out of the blue, you leave my sister who had been by your side since forever for _him_? Really, Harry, this is my business too!"

Harry knew Ron was right and it hurt too much to realize that if he was in Ron's shoes Harry would have said the exact same things.

"Ron, try to understand, it happened! We…" suddenly the truth of his own words hit him, "…we've been dancing around it since we met…"

"What?" Ron exclaimed and Harry knew there was no way Ron could understand. Harry remained in silence and suddenly Ron started talking again: "You betrayed us all, Harry! I…I… don't know if I can call you family anymore…"

"I suppose you can't…" Harry said and he didn't need to turn around to know that Ron had disappeared from his life without another word.

---

As Draco watched life going from outside his kitchen's window he knew that one thing was absolutely certain. Draco was bored, like, really, really, bored. So as if to make his point clearer to the only other inhabitant of his muggle house (that is to say his owl), he sighed:

"I'm bored!" and the owl couldn't care less as it continued sleeping over the fridge. Draco sighed again and realized for the first time how much he missed Harry. He wanted to laugh because just some months ago he hadn't wanted to even hear Harry's name. Life was really full of surprises.

Talking of surprises… Draco blinked as he saw Mrs. Dunham for the first time in weeks exiting her house and in a matter of minutes he wasn't bored anymore. Draco was terrified. His pulse started to quicken. Draco didn't want to start to do house chores! Go away! Go away! Go away! But to Draco's surprise Mrs. Dunham wasn't walking towards his house.

"Where is she going?" Draco wondered aloud, awakening Harry the owl who cheeped in frustration. Then Draco had an idea. A wonderful idea. "Hey, Harry…" he said to the irritated owl, "Let's go spy Mrs. Dunham to see where she is going. What do you say?" Draco looked at the owl. Harry looked at him with its big eyes and… turned his back at him. Draco pouted. "I won't give you chocolate cookies anymore if you don't!" Draco said then and suddenly he felt Harry's weight on his head. Really, his owl's desire for chocolate cookies was quite an advantage. Did normal owls eat chocolate cookies? Harry must be one of a kind.

Anyway! Back to Mrs. Dunham. "Let's go!" Draco exclaimed and Harry peeped in agreement. Draco took his coat, put his shoes really quickly and with the owl following Draco started his spying session.

Draco hid behind a tree and looked at Mrs. Dunham. "Strange… she seems to go to the supa-dupa… no, it's isn't called like that…" Draco thought and as soon as he understood that Mrs. Dunham hadn't realized she was being followed Draco stopped hiding behind the tree.

Soon he realized that Mrs. Dunham wasn't going where Draco supposed she went as she didn't turn right where the super-market was. Now Draco was more intrigued but suddenly something happened that made him forget all his spying work.

Mrs. Dunham bumped into a large man who, without apologizing moved on. That wasn't, though, what made Draco forget what he was trying to do. The fact was that Mrs. Dunham bag fell from her arms and fell on the pavement, opening and showing everyone its inside. Draco stared open-mouthed as something that looked like a stick fell from her bag, but Draco wasn't a muggle to pass it as such.

Mrs. Dunham kneeled to take the stick from the floor and abruptly Draco pointed at her and shouted: "Witch!" making everyone who passed by look at him disapprovingly. Mrs. Dunham turned abruptly to him, shoving the wand into the bag.

"That isn't a nice thing to say to an old lady…" someone said.

"Oh, kids these days…" someone else added.

"Tsk…" another said.

Mrs. Dunham just cursed and looked back at Draco, who instantly closed his mouth. Harry the owl took the opportunity to sit on Draco's head. Everyone forgot what had happened only a moment before and stared amused at the owl on the young man's head.

"Isn't it a little early for them to be awake?" someone said and Harry chirped as if to say: 'finally! Someone understands!'. Mrs. Dunham took Draco from his arm as everyone was still occupied with the owl and whispered:

"Let's go to your house…"

Draco was still too surprised to say anything. In a moment they were back to his little house and Mrs. Dunham closed the door as soon as the owl was in.

"You are a witch!" suddenly Draco said again. Mrs. Dunham sighed. "You are a witch and you made me do ALL those chores without magic?"

"Is that all?" Mrs. Dunham asked.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Draco exclaimed.

"I was in incognito…" Mrs. Dunham said. "Every ex-Death Eater has someone to take care of him or her in their first steps in their muggle life. No one was supposed to realize the one who was taking care of them was in fact a wizard…" she said and took the wand from her bag. "I suppose you are special…" Mrs. Dunham smiled.

"You are not going to oblivate me, forget it!" Draco exclaimed. Mrs. Dunham laughed and put the wand again in the bag.

"You are really one of a kind, you know…" Mrs. Dunham said. "No other Death Eater had been so kind to me as you have…"

"I…" Draco was taken aback. Mrs. Dunham laughed again.

"So, I think I should tell you all the truth…" and as soon as the words left her mouth something started to happen. Draco watched mesmerized as Mrs. Dunham started to get bigger, taller… manlier. Her white hair colored black and her chin became more prominent.

"You are a man?" Draco screeched. Mrs. Dunham (or should he say Mr. Dunham? Draco didn't know anymore) smiled at him.

"I am a metamorphomagus, really…" he said and laughed again. "Call me Mark Dunham, that's my real name…"

"You must be kidding me…" Draco said and then he started to grin. "Wait till I tell Harry!"

As if on cue the door opened and a disheveled Harry entered Draco's house. Draco smiled and Harry was taken aback as he came face to face with a broad man.

"It's Mrs. Dunham!" Draco exclaimed. "Isn't this cool? She... he is a metamorfomagus!"

Life was really full of surprises.


	21. Come live with me

Harry wasn't in the right state of mind to fully appreciate Draco's discovery about Mrs. Dunham. The raven, though, was shocked to see this broad man laughing around with Draco and think that he was the lovely (and just a little creepy) Mrs. Dunham who had tried to be a good neighbor (and failed). Harry had to admit that Dunham was really a good metamorfomagus and understood perfectly why the Ministry put him in charge of watching ex-Death Eaters and helping them with their Muggle life.

"You probably know that this, well, let's call it rehabilitation program…" Mark was saying, "…was thought because young Death Eaters may be able to change their views about Muggles in general…"

"Maybe… maybe they were right…" Draco whispered, blushing a little at the fact he was admitting that whoever put him in such hell wasn't really such a devil after all. Mark smiled and Harry was the only one to see that it was sad.

"Draco…" Mark said, "You are the only one who actually understood. Everyone else, every other Death Eater, was sentenced to Azkaban just a few weeks, or even after some days, the decision of their punishment. Most of them used magic and some of them… tried… sometimes succeeded to kill…" Mark didn't continue and both Harry and Draco stared at the metamorfomagus.

"It's not your fault…" Harry said immediately. "You meant good…" and at that Marcus bitterly laughed but then smiled at Draco.

"I'm kind of glad I don't have to be an old woman after all… besides there is already someone else…" and he looked at Harry, "…watching out for you…"

"You are leaving?" Draco exclaimed, standing up and Mark laughed.

"Weren't you the one complaining I remained too much around your house?"

"Well, you did want me to clean and sweep and…" Draco said. Mark laughed again and put a hand affectionately on Draco.

"You are one of a kind, Mr. Malfoy…" Mark said, "No one would have thought that you as a Malfoy would make it but… I'm so proud of you…" the man said with the tone of voice he always used when he was Mrs. Dunham. "We will see each other again. Bye, Draco. Bye, Harry…" and without another word, disappeared.

---

Then night fell and Harry felt suddenly exhausted at everything that happened in just a day. He heavily sat on the couch and Draco immediately sat beside him. Harry sighed as he felt Draco's finger caress his face and thought that he wanted to stay by the blonde's side forever.

"I'm single now…" Harry suddenly said and Draco stopped what he was doing and looked at Harry.

"For me?" Draco whispered. "You left Ginny Weasley for me…" and Harry noticed Draco's hand trembling and the raven took it in his own and kissed them. "You must be head over heels for me… not that it isn't normal…" Draco said after a moment. "You are such an idiot…" but he was smiling, grinning in fact and Harry felt his heart fill with something he had never felt before.

Draco's smile was alluring; so much in fact Harry couldn't contain himself and leaned down to kiss him. Draco was still smiling when their lips found each other and the blonde deepened immediately the kiss to hide that simple fact.

"Come live with me…" Draco said when both of them needed air and Harry blinked behind unclear glasses. Draco then kissed him again first on the cheek, then along his jaw and Harry whispered yes and that night they took their newborn relationship just a little further.

---

A week passed and Harry was living with Malfoy. Harry's apartment in the Wizarding World remained empty and everyone who lived close by wondered where that beautiful couple had gone to and soon realized that they never will know.

Harry, though, had still a job to go to and came and went from the Ministry every day, so at least once a day he had to face his friend Ron, who still wasn't talking to him, not that Harry wasn't complaining as he was in fact angry to at Ron's immature behavior. Hermione, on the other, was still talking to him.

"You can't expect us not to be angry, Harry…" she told him one day. "To tell the truth I am not angry as much as I thought I would, I am just shocked at such a turn of events. Ron, on the other, felt closer to you than you think and its worse for him to accept the fact you need Malfoy, the enemy you both fought so much in the past, more than his sister. Try to understand…"

The fact was that Harry understood perfectly and wasn't angry at Hermione for trying to take Ron's defenses. They've been through worse after all…

At the Burrow the Weasley family was shocked too about this turn of events, but most of they felt sad. Ginny returned in her old home and for days after her break up she didn't come out from her room, making everyone, and especially Molly Weasley, worry. tried many times to make his only daughter exit her room but to no avail. Ron, being closer to Ginny than the other siblings, came and went from the Burrow to check if she was okay but every time he felt his anger multiply day by day.

"I don't believe Harry Potter had done this to her…" one of the Weasley brothers said.

"If he fell in love with Malfoy…" Molly said, "…then there is nothing we can do about it…"

"Ok, deal, but doesn't he care about Ginny anymore?" Ron exclaimed, "Why hadn't he tried to come and comfort her?"

"Things don't work that way…" a woman said and everyone turned around to look at Ginny who had finally come out from her isolation. Molly's heart jumped in her chest with joy and immediately served Ginny something to eat.

"I think everyone takes this too personally, especially you, Ron…" Ginny said, her voice was tired and she had bags under her beautiful eyes. "I don't want any of you to change your views about Harry. I want him to still be a part of the family no matter who he fell in love with…"

"He always be part of the family, Ginny, don't worry…" George said and Ginny smiled.

"I feel sad and betrayed but I know that one day I won't anymore. I need time and Harry needs time too before we can talk normally again…" and suddenly she started to cry and Molly ran to take her in her arms.

'Part of the family…' Ron thought but he still couldn't stop being angry at Harry. Ron knew his reasons were more selfish than he admitted them to be.

Ron had always been a little jealous of Harry as Harry had always been in the center of attention. Ron, being another Weasley, was never looked as one of a kind. He always just was the younger Weasley boy or Harry Potter's sidekick, nothing more than one of many. Then, suddenly, Hermione said yes and that made Ron feel special and finally he was the center of attention. The day Hermione said yes had been _his_ day until Harry stole the spotlights again and this time with the help of Malfoy, the same man who had always called Ron and his Hermione names.

Ron knew Harry didn't do it on purpose but still everyone immediately turned their attention to the Savior of the Wizarding World once again. Hermione too in a matter of hours wasn't happy about them getting married anymore but she was worried sick about Harry and Ginny.

Yes, his reasons were selfish but Ron felt betrayed more than one way and that was why he still couldn't see Harry, his best friend, as part of the family.


	22. The letter

Draco could say that his life was perfect and it all started when Harry returned his feelings, then everything became even better. He had a job (even if his boss was a barbaric man with no sense of style whatsoever), he had a home all for him (even if it didn't have all the commodities a wizard wanted) and he lived with Harry.

His Harry, all his. The really bad thing was that Draco had to thank the aforementioned barbaric man for this, so when next Monday Draco returned to the Coffee Place, somewhat still annoyed by the kiss Josh had so generously shared with him, Draco had tried really hard to say the magic word.

Josh looked up at him after taking a customer order and grinned slyly at the blond boy.

"So, what's up, monkey?"

Whatever word Draco had wanted to say in that moment died in his throat and punched Josh. The dyed blond man just laughed as he dived and slapped Draco on the back, making the younger man more pissed than before.

"I hope you had fun this weekend with your boyfriend…" Josh said, meanwhile winking at another customer. In that moment Draco really wondered why he returned in the first place but then something else caught his eye.

"What happened to the window?" Draco exclaimed, staring at the broken window fixed together with tape. Josh threw just a glance at the window and sighed:

"Well, a sparrow wanted a coffee really bad, but he couldn't find the door. He is in coma, the poor animal…" Josh said as if it was the most tragic story ever. Draco shot him a look and once more he wondered why he continued working there with that mad man, before making his way behind the counter.

Nevertheless, his life continued to be perfect and throughout the week Draco couldn't find nothing wrong in returning home with Harry by his side and spend all day together. However, life changes and Draco's changed abruptly when one day he returned home without Harry and found a letter on his kitchen table.

_Mr. Draco Malfoy, _

_We are glad to announce you that your rehabilitation program is over. This evening you are kindly requested to be at the Ministry, second floor […] to retrieve your wand. _

_Signed_

Draco read the letter with trembling hands. He was shaking so much that even Harry the owl was looking at his strangely from his favorite spot on the fridge.

He was free to go, Draco thought and he couldn't contain his grin. His parents had made it! Draco wanted to scream with joy and without another thought literally run to his room and started to pack. Finally, he would return home with his people...

Finally, he could have his wand back and not feel a half man never again.

And Harry… they will live together somewhere in Diagon Alley or maybe buy a house of their own. What about Josh and Marie? Well, they will understand he had to leave and… or maybe he could return once in a while to help them around.

But suddenly, as he threw his clothes in a bag he had found, reality hit him and time stood still. He was free to go and be a wizard again… but…

Draco would get married. To Astoria Greengrass. Draco's grin disappeared in an instant and all his dreams to live with Harry disappeared in a second.

Draco couldn't say no, not after everything his father had done for him. The rules in his family, and every noble family, were strict and Draco had to marry Astoria, whether he wanted or not.

What an idiot he had been for falling in love with Harry and thus dragging him in this mess? Draco should have thought sooner! But no, he had totally forgotten his arranged marriage with the girl!

"Draco…" a voice in the hallway, "Where are you?"

Draco's head abruptly turned to the source of the voice and suddenly realized he was crying. He could picture Harry downstairs, reading the letter Draco had left in the kitchen, and he could see him smiling because finally Draco's dream became true.

A second later Draco listened as Harry climbed quickly the stairs, watched his grin turn into a frown when Harry saw Draco crying and felt in a moment Harry's strong arms around his body.

"What the hell, Draco?" Harry laughed a little, "You cry from joy like a sissy girl?"

Draco bit his lip and tried to stop crying, because it really was stupid to cry over something like that. Draco tried to push Harry away, making the raven's frown deepened.

"Harry, you fool, don't you get it…" Draco whispered.

"You are free to be a wizard again, Draco? Why are you crying?" Harry was confused but Draco avoided the other's eyes. "Draco?"

Under Harry's worried stare, all the sadness Draco had been feeling turned into anger and pushed Harry away.

"Don't you get it?" Draco exclaimed and angrily threw more clothes into his bag. "As soon as I return to the Wizarding World, I'm getting married, Harry! Whatever we are having is ending now, because I have responsibilities and I can't say no!"

Harry blinked at him as Draco suddenly started crying again, then a name came to his mind and Harry whispered: "Astoria Greengrass…"

Everything went so fast. A moment Draco was crying, the other he was in Harry's arms, kissing him for what seemed like the last time in his life.

"Say no, dammit!" Harry suddenly exclaimed when they parted, "It's your life and you have a say in this! F** Draco… I don't get it…"

"No, you don't because you aren't a pureblood…" Draco suddenly said, "And you don't understand because the only purebloods you know are the Weasleys and they are not following the rules centuries now… I can't say no. Astoria and I are engaged because our families wanted so and even if I don't understand the reasons behind it I _have_ to marry this girl..." he said, angrily drying his tears. Harry was too shocked to realize what was happening, he just watched as Draco packed all his things, all the while, avoiding Harry eyes. "I'm just sorry I let this…" and motioned the air between them, "…happen. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" and Harry felt Draco's lips again on his.

"I'm taking my owl and… and…I'm going… to say goodbye to Josh and Marie now… they must be still in the Coffee Place…" Draco whispered and Harry suddenly woke up from his reverie and tried to grab Draco's arm but Draco disappareted without another word and Harry's fingers clutched air.

---

Ron couldn't stop staring dreamily as Hermione as she called her parents to tell them the good news. A month or so, Ron thought, and they were getting married.

"…yeah, I'll send you the invitations soon enough…" Hermione was saying and she looked back at Ron. Hermione smiled softly at him and Ron felt his heart jump, the same way it did when they were kids and Ron thought girls were weird creatures.

A month or so and Hermione would be his wife.

It's strange to think that some phrases may change the way one saw the world in a matter of seconds. Hermione, who always loved him even if sometimes he really acted as an idiot. Hermione, who always searched for him first when something was wrong.

Hermione, that Hermione, would be his wife and one day they will have a family.

Ron could picture them, Hermione, his kids, her family, his family and in a matter of seconds he realized that he wanted Harry to be in the picture too.

It took him weeks to realize that. Ron now knew that his jealousy that day, when Ginny broke up with Harry, had been absolutely ridiculous. For Hermione, Ron would always be the center of attention. His family loved him, he realized, and would had even if he hadn't been Harry Potter's friend. The other's were jealous of him not because he was Harry's best friend, but because Harry trusted him. Draco Malfoy had been one of them.

Ron had been an idiot, he knew, but it took time to let his anger for Harry for hurting Ginny slowly dissipate. It took him weeks to realize how much he wanted Harry to be with him. Ginny wanted him in the family too, if not as her husband, as a really good friend, and that fact, Ron thought, was more important than any inferiority complex Ron had.

It was time to apologize and Ron knew that maybe it was Harry's turn to be angry with him, but as Hermione had put it once bluntly: "This nonsense has to end". So, that was why Ron stood up, kissed Hermione even if she was still talking to the phone and she hated to be disturbed, and exited their home.

Ron had waited too much and he cursed himself. The good thing was that he knew where Draco Malfoy was living and it took him just a couple of hours to finally find the right house.

Ron's heart was beating loudly in his chest as he slowly but firmly rang the bell to Draco's home. In truth Ron didn't know what to expect, but he could say he didn't expect Harry to open the door with red from crying eyes.

As soon as Harry saw it was Ron he hugged his red headed friend tightly.

"I was an idiot…" Ron said, blushing lightly from embarrassment. Harry tried to smile but motioned him to come in and Ron looked around in search of Draco.

"He is not here, Ron…" Harry said, his voice cracking a little. "You can do your 'I told you so' dance if you want…he left me…"

Ron turned to Harry so abruptly he felt dizzy. "What happened?" Ron suddenly asked and Harry pointed to a letter on the kitchen table. Ron looked at Harry then at the letter and started to read.

"Well, I don't understand… you should have returned to the Wizarding World together…" Ron said, raising an eyebrow in confusion. A moment of silence passed before Harry managed to tell Ron the whole story.

Harry told Ron everything he hadn't told him since Draco called that day, so long ago, to help him out. Harry told Draco of that day when Draco's parents visited him, of Astoria Greengrass and finally ending the story with Draco leaving him because he had to marry the girl.

Ron understood why Harry was so angry and when he told Harry that Draco didn't do it on purpose, he started describing him all the rules a pureblood must follow.

"Harry, mate, he could do nothing…" Ron said in the end. Harry just sighed and Ron knew Harry was trying with all his might not to break something or break down himself. Ron looked at the letter again then at Harry and even if he still hated Draco, an idea formed into his mind.

So when Harry saw Ron grinning from ear to ear, the raven misunderstood everything:

"You find it funny, don't you?" Harry shouted. Ron looked at Harry a little taken aback but his smile didn't vanish from his face and Harry was suddenly reminded of the Weasley twins when they swore they weren't up to no good.

"Well, I said _he_ can't do anything, right?" Ron said and Harry raised his eyebrow.

"What are you trying to tell me?"


	23. The wedding

**AN. So, guys! Sorry to inform you that this, yeah, THIS, is the last chapter of Wake Up Call. I hope you will like it! ^^ Thanks for everyone who enjoyed this story until the very end, for all the reviews, alerts and favorites! THANK YOU! ****I have, however, a last request. I would like you all to tell me what you thought of this story over all, what I did wrong and what I did best. It helps me to improve and to write even better stories in the future! I will really miss Wake Up Call and I will miss Josh and Marie too! Now, enough, with the tears and on with the story! **

**The wedding **

When Draco walked down the Malfoy's mansion, wand in his jacket's inside pocket, to meet his parents, he decided to forget everything that had happened to him in the past months. Step by step his adventures with Mrs. Dunham, who was in the end a metamorphomagus who worked for the Ministry, his search for a job, Josh and Marie and in the end Harry too were literally slammed away in the back of his mind, never to be remembered again. If Draco did, he knew he wouldn't stand it and he would break.

Draco forgot all the liberties he had as a muggle. His cheerfulness and all the stupid things he had said without thinking weren't needed anymore. Draco was again a full Malfoy and from now on he had to be careful in everything he said or did. It hurt and Draco realized in a moment how much he had felt free when he was a "muggle".

Draco opened the door to the third living room and found his father and mother conversing with Astoria's parents. When the door creaked open all chatter suddenly stopped and four pair of eyes looked up at him. Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass stood up as one and Draco's parents followed them.

"It is nice to finally meet you again, after all this time…" Draco said with a smile, shaking Mr. Greengrass hand first and then bowing to kiss Mrs. Greengrass pale fingers, making her giggle a little.

"You grown to be a really handsome man, Draco…" Mr. Greengrass said with a smile, "But you seem to have lost weight…"

"It seems that muggles don't eat as well as pureblood wizards…" Narcissa suddenly said with a frown.

"Oh, it must have been horrible for you to live in such awful conditions for so many months…" Mrs. Greengrass said, sincerely worried. Draco shook his head with a smile.

"That is the past, Mrs. Greengrass…" Draco said, "The future is more important now…"

"Indeed…" Mr. Greengrass said, "Astoria simply adores you…"

"So Draco, before you arrived we were talking about the wedding. Everything is decided for tomorrow…" Lucius said, talking for the first time.

"Everything is ready, dear…" Narcissa said, "We already send invitations…"

"If there is someone who you would like to come to the wedding, though, there is still time to send another invitation…" Mrs. Greengrass said. Draco looked at Astoria's parents, his mind totally blank, but his heart was racing.

"No…" he said quickly. "There is no one. I'm sure you handled this perfectly without forgetting anyone…".

---

"This isn't going to work.." Harry exclaimed making Ron and George stop chatting. "What if Draco really wants to marry and we will just… I don't know… mess up his career or something?"

The Weasley brothers blinked at him. Harry sighed and started reading again the paper Ron gave him just some seconds before.

"Are you nuts?" George suddenly said. "No one would like to marry like that…"

"And besides… what career is there to mess?" Ron added, grinning a little.

"He probably will not work for the rest of his life…" George continued.

"You know what I was talking about!" Harry said and sighed again. Ron and George looked at each other. "I… I think we aren't doing the right thing…"

"Hmph… bullshit…" George said. "The only thing wrong with the plan is that we don't know the where and when…"

"Told you it wasn't going to work…" Harry said. "Forget all about this stupid idea and… we should just move on with our lives…" Harry tried to have a cheerful tone of voice and failed miserably. Harry stood up and ran a hand through his already messy hair.

Everything was happening so quickly. In a moment Draco was head over heels for him, the next Draco left him to go marry. In a moment he and Ginny fought, the next Ron was there to help him with this stupid, impossible plan.

"You wish…" George said, "I had seen enough angst going on to last me till I'm old…"

Suddenly, a brown haired woman appeared with a loud 'pop' in the middle of the living room, waving something white in her hands.

"Guys! Guys!" she exclaimed. Ron and George stood immediately up and approached her. "This is what we were searching for!" Hermione shouted and slammed the paper she was holding on the table.

"How did you get this?" Ron slowly asked, his smile turning into a full grin.

"Someone I work with was invited and I just… copied it down on a paper…"

"You are awesome…" George said and hugged Hermione.

"Hands down from my girlfriend…" Ron groaned and George gave Hermione's cheek a peck. Harry watched the three from afar but then curiosity won over and he approached the white thing in Ron's hands.

"What is it?" he asked. "Tell me it's not what I think it is…" he groaned. "Didn't I tell you this whole idea is stupid?"

"Whatever you say, Harry…" Hermione said, "You want this more than we do…"

"T-that's not true!" Harry exclaimed but somewhere in the back of his mind reminded him how much he really wanted for everything to go as planned.

"Anyway…" Hermione continued, clearly not believing him. "There is more to it…" and she smiled. The room fell silent.

---

Astoria Greengrass looked at herself in the mirror as she run a hand through the pleats of her dress. She then made to brush her long black hair again but suddenly she stopped and threw angrily the comb into the mirror. Her reflection broke into a million of pieces and Astoria too sat down on the nearest armchair and started crying.

She still couldn't believe what was going to happen to her. Married to Draco Malfoy. For the rest of her life. Why her? Daphne, her sister, was in love with Draco. Not her. Astoria started crying again thinking about her true love.

"Antal…" Astoria sobbed. She remembered the look he gave to her, the sad smile, when she told Antal what her parent's had decided for her. Antal had said he understood and that he was happy for her for finding such a good husband. Astoria knew why he had said such things but it didn't help make her feel better.

Suddenly, someone was knocking on the door and she tried to dry her tears and cover her red from crying eyes fast. Astoria wondered if it was her mother, checking if the dress was fitting her perfectly as it should.

"Come in…" Astoria said when she thought she was presentable enough. The door opened and Astoria came face to face with someone that was not her mother.

---

"Everything's ready?" Narcissa asked one of her servants. The little house elf nodded and disappeared in a moment. Narcissa looked then at her son and smiled at how handsome he was in his wedding suit.

Draco tried not to snort and to look decent enough. He looked outside the window, wondering what Harry was doing in that moment…

---

"Everything's ready?" George asked and Ron nodded. "Ok, then…" the older Weasley continued and grinned. "Tell the rest to begin the plan…"

---

"Everything's ready, dear…" Mrs. Greengrass said, peeking from the door. Astoria nodded and check another time her wedding dress. "You are so beautiful, Astoria…" her mother said and dried a tear with a white handkerchief.

"Thanks, mother…" Astoria said and smiled.

"Well then, the house elf will come and tell you when to come down the aisle…" Mrs. Greengrass said and closed the door.

"Of course…" Astoria said to no one in particular and grinned.

---

Draco waited by the door as suddenly the music started to play. There was everyone, his and Astoria's family, some of his ex-friends and colleagues, even people he didn't know.

"This is so stupid…" Draco thought as house elves started throwing red petals on the path he and Astoria were going to walk on in a moment. For a second Draco really wondered why he wasn't running away when Lucius nodded at him as he sat down on his red chair in the first row, Narcissa soon followed lead.

Too soon for Draco's tastes the music changed and Astoria suddenly appeared with a smile on his side. Draco had to admit she was a beautiful girl but he couldn't even imagine a life with her.

As the custom wanted Astoria took his arm and they started slowly walking down the aisle. Draco looked at Astoria, feeling he should say something and so he did:

"Astoria. You are… well… I see you… are quite well…" Draco said and cursed himself for not be able to say a compliment without looking like an idiot.

"Oh, thank you, dear… but call me Mark…" Astoria replied and Draco turned so abruptly to the woman by his side that he thought his neck cracked. But Draco was still walking and Astoria was still grinning. Did that mean he wasn't really awake?

"No, you are not dreaming…" Astoria said, as if she could read his mind. "In a moment or so we are going to get you out of this mess…"

"Who?" Draco whispered, confused.

"Oh, Draco, I thought you were a smart guy…" the woman said with a frown and Draco suddenly saw in her eyes a glint he knew too well.

"Dunham?" Draco whispered but by then they have reached the arch where the ceremony will be carried out.

"Duh..." Mark said in Astoria's sweet voice. "I really hate dresses so I hope we will get over this quickly…" Draco was now more confused than ever but he managed to ask:

"Where's Astoria?"

But Mark didn't have the time to answer because suddenly something flied over them quickly and something exploded. The guest started screaming as the place transformed into a swamp.

"This is for you Fred!" someone exclaimed, laughing his soul out and Draco and 'Astoria' looked up to George Weasley throwing strange balls all over the place on his broom. He wasn't the only one though, and Draco noticed then that Ron Weasley and Charlie Weasley too were throwing strange things to the guests, making them run away screaming.

"I don't believe this…" Draco whispered but he couldn't contain his smile. Lucius was screaming something and Astoria's parents were no where to be seen.

"Now it's your chance!" someone shouted at him from the ceiling. Draco looked suddenly up as Ginny Weasley stretched her hand out to him. Draco blinked.

"Weasley?" Draco whispered.

"No, it's Severus Snape!" Ginny snorted. "Do you want us to take you to Harry or not?"

"You are helping _me_? After… after…" Draco made a step back.

"I'm not helping you…" Ginny said, her hands still stretched, "I'm helping Harry, because I love him and I want him to be happy. If that means we have to stop this wedding, so be it!" she laughed, "Are you coming?"

Suddenly, someone shouted his name and Draco turned to look at Lucius' mad face.

"What the hell is happening?" Lucius shouted. In a moment Draco's mind went blank and without really thinking took Ginny's hand and sat behind her.

"Sorry, father! But Harry's is waiting for me!" Draco shouted and smiled. "This wedding is awesome!" he added after a moment and Ginny sped up and away from the wrecked place.

"Draco!" Lucius screamed but Draco couldn't hear him anymore. The older Malfoy turned then to Astoria who shrugged and grinned at him, before changing in a red headed man in a wedding dress and running away.

"Lucius…" Narcissa suddenly said and Lucius looked at his wife, handing him a bottle of alcohol. "It's another generation…"

"Kids…" he said and took a long sip from the bottle. Then they looked at each other and started to laugh.

"I never liked the Greengrass family, anyway…" Narcissa said. "Come, let's go, this place stinks…"

---

"Where are you taking me to?" Draco shouted, the speed making it hard to speak. It was then that Ginny abruptly stopped and Draco looked around to see the countryside.

"Here you go…" Ginny said and dropped Draco down. "He will take you to your final destination…" she said and pointed to a motorbike somewhere to their right. Draco gaped as the rider of the motorbike take off his helmet and grinned at him.

"Hello, monkey!" Josh exclaimed and Draco gaped. "Thank you for taking him here, miss…" the dyed blond said to Ginny and she smiled.

"No problem!" then she looked down at Draco, "Take good care of Harry…" and with that she flied away, back to the Burrow. Draco watched the exchange of words with shock and when Ginny was just a spot in the sky, Josh decided to speak:

"Well, I knew you were special…" he said, "But a wizard… wow… that is unbelievable…"

"How…" Draco was at loss of words and Josh sighed.

"I was… well… somehow upset when you left that I paid a visit to your friends…" Josh explained but noticing the weird look on Draco's face, Josh groaned and started explaining the whole story.

_Harry hadn't had the time to listen to Ron's explanation that the doorbell started, to put it mildly, ringing. Whoever was outside the door didn't seem to understand the phrase 'noise pollution'. _

"_What in Merlin's beard!" Ron shouted. "Make it stop!" _

_Harry immediately stood up, not that he had heard Ron's words, anyway, and abruptly opened the door, making the ringing finally stop once and for all. Harry wanted to shout at the annoying person outside the door for being so in love with the doorbell that he couldn't take his fingers off it but all the words died in his throat as he was literally tackled on the floor. _

"_What…" Harry managed to whisper and in a moment he recognized those dyed blond hair and those crazy eyes. "Josh!"_

"_WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO DRACO!" Josh exclaimed pointing an accusing finger at Harry, when the latter tried to sit up. With the corner of his eye he saw Ron taking out his wand and Harry stopped him:_

"_No! I know this crazy old man!"_

"_Who you called old?" Josh's eye twitched and then realized that he wasn't alone with Harry. Josh looked at the red headed boy pointing a stick at him and tsk-ed. "You want to poke me to death with that?"_

"_The…" Ron started, getting red in the face, but Harry stopped him again. _

"_It's Draco's employer… or at least was…"_

"_Yeah! That's right, kid!" Josh exclaimed. "WAS! What did you do to him? After all the PAIN I went through to put you two together… you didn't last a week!" Josh took a cigarette and put it between his lips. "What the hell is wrong with you, Harry?" Josh continued, "He was so upset and…"_

"_Should I oblivate him?" Ron asked then and Josh stopped to look at the other man. His eyes became smaller from suspicion. _

"_Did you break them up?" Josh slurred the words. _

"_I did what?" Ron exclaimed. "Who are you anyway?"_

"_I told you… he was Draco's employer…" Harry said. _

"_I'm Draco's friend…" Josh said, "And I didn't like the way he came so upset in my Coffee Place so… WHAT DID YOU DO?" he shouted again, pointing his cigarette at Harry. _

"_Oblivate him, please…" Harry groaned but Ron put the wand away. _

"_No, he should be useful…" _

"And so they told you all about the Wizarding World…" Draco said, holding Josh for dear life, as the older man sped down the deserted street.

"Not everything…" Josh said, "I don't really care, anyway… they showed me a few tricks to prove me they were telling the truth. Ah!" Josh sighed. "The things you learned everyday!"

"Aren't you freaked out?" Draco suddenly asked.

"Maybe I was a little at first…" Josh said, strangely sincere. "But if that's your world…" but he didn't continue.

"Aw… you care!" Draco chanted. Josh tsk-ed. "What about Marie?"

"She is taking your spouse away to her real love too…"

"What?" Draco exclaimed. "Astoria?"

"Yeah… you lot have strange names…".

---

The rest of the ride was silent and Draco slowly recognized London muggle streets, the Coffee Place, and all the other places he'd been those past months. Draco felt his heart start pounding loudly in his chest as all the memories flooded his mind.

They passed a supermarket and Draco laughed at the memory of his first visit in one.

The tube…

The zoo…

And then the park…

"Here we are…" Josh said and helped Draco climb down the bike. "I don't know if… you are going to return to work with me or not again…" Josh coughed. Draco smiled a little. "But, well, I…"

"See you tomorrow, Josh…" Draco said and punched Josh lightly on the shoulder. Josh laughed and started the engine again.

"See ya, then, monkey!"

"Crazy man…" Draco said and in that moment he noticed that someone was watching them, sitting on a bench. Draco didn't hear Josh speeding away as he could just see Harry, watching him with a mist of worry and love that made Draco's heart melt, not that he would ever tell the other that, of course.

"I hope all this crazy plan didn't… well… ruin your family ties…" Harry said standing up and blushing a little. "It was Ron's plan, by the way, I…" but he was cut short by Draco's lips on his. Harry didn't think anymore and just took Draco in his arms and started to kiss him back in a way he never did before. Harry blushed when he heard Draco moan in appreciation.

Then Draco looked at him, smiling and said. "I really would like us to buy the best house in the market. I don't want to live in another mini apartment as I did till the other day…"

Harry laughed: "As you wish, my princess…" and Draco stomped on Harry's foot but it made Harry laugh even more. So what did Draco do?

Silenced him with a passionate kiss, of course.


End file.
